While visiting with my attorney recently I mentioned testifying in a trial in which the attorney had been very nervous; inappropriately so, it seemed to me. He said “Yes, but you are more confident than most people.”

He’s right. I am.

In reflecting on that conversation, I’ve been wandering around in my brain asking myself questions like: from where does confidence come? Why are some people more confident than others? What is confidence? Does confidence matter? How can you develop more confidence?

Are you a confident person? Why or why not? How do you feel around people who are strongly confident?

What is Confidence?

I think it is simply believing. Believing in yourself. Believing in others. Believing in God.

Confidence is assurance. Assurance is being certain. So perhaps confidence is being certain.

Core Value #3 in our company is Confidence in your Competence. That’s simply being certain that you have the ability to execute your responsibilities effectively. It’s the shooter stepping up to the free throw line with no time on the clock certain that he can make the basket. It’s the surgeon boldly cutting into the body because she is certain of where to cut. It’s the athlete who when his team is behind and it is late in the game says “Give me the ball. I’ll carry it over the goal line.” It’s the soprano who in the climax of the piece, right after that pregnant pause, has the courage to nail the high note at full volume, certain that she could.

Confidence is knowing that you know; knowing that you can. It is the ability to trust yourself to deliver the result for you. It is the inner assurance of a favorable outcome.

Does Confidence Matter?

Confidence is the key ingredient to success. A technically precise pianist who never misses a note can melt down in a performance failure if lacking confidence. A salesman who doesn’t believe will never bring his solution to bear with a prospect if he is lacking in certainty that his solution is the absolute best one for the prospect.

I want my surgeon to be confident in his knowledge of anatomy, and my lawyer to be confident not just in their knowledge of the law, but in their instinctive ability to successfully present my case before the court with bold assertion. I want my preacher to be confident in the message he brings, the authority it rests on, the power of God to do the impossible and the fondness of God for a guy like me who doesn’t deserve it.

So yes, I’d say confidence matters. It matters a lot! You cannot be successful if you are not confident.

Sources of Confidence

So where do you get confidence? Your parents? Your education? Can you buy it through an online store?

I know one lady whose confidence comes from her genes. She was heard to recently say “My parents ran this town when they were alive, and now I’m going to.” Oh, she’s got confidence, but as you might guess it’s misplaced. She’s not getting traction with genetic confidence.

Back in the dark ages—when I went to college—it was true that if you got a medical or law degree that you had the ticket to financial success; you could be confident that your future was economically and socially secure. However, I’ve had enough brainless doctors as clients and seen enough hungry lawyers to know that entrusting your confidence to those professional degrees would definitely be misplacing your certainty.

Some people get their confidence from a bottle. We call that “liquid courage.” But sources indicate that wears off quickly and definitely leaves you worse for the wear. In fact, many people have done stupid things fortified with this kind of confidence. I’ve got a 45 year old buddy who is practically crippled from that kind of confidence. It seems in college he got his confidence up and decided to tackle on of those snorkle-type, street corner mailboxes.

Ouch!

Starting in junior high and extending throughout life, many people get their confidence from what other people think of them. They dress, talk, and conduct themselves in ways that they believe will cause others to think or speak highly of them. The join clubs, seek out “friends” (in quotes because they aren’t really), and drive certain vehicles because they believe being part of that group, accepted by that person, or looking successful behind the wheel of a particular sports car will give them status. In my experience those folks sometimes look good, and usually have cool stuff, but they are often shallow, hollow, empty people starved for relationships and hungry for authenticity.

Don’t get me wrong. Dressing well, educating yourself, and putting your best foot forward can certainly contribute to success. But ultimately confidence is internal. It doesn’t come from any of the external sources pursued by the vast majority of people.
he Ultimate Source of Confidence

Easter Sunday seems like the right time to share with you what I believe is the ultimate source of confidence.

The Bible teaches that Jesus died for man’s sin and that if I were the only man who ever lived, or the only man who ever sinned, Jesus would have died in my place; for me alone. In so doing, God “priced” me. He said I was worth the life of His most precious son. He put a value on me and it is a high one.

Enormous, really.

So, in light of the value that God has placed on me, suddenly, what you think of me doesn’t matter so much. Whether I pass all the “cool” tests and “awesome” factors doesn’t really matter too much. Driving an old beater, a Ford F150, or a (OK, I’m not a car guy, so insert the hottest, coolest car of your choice here) suddenly becomes irrelevant.

You see my friend, I am confident because God loves me. He doesn’t love me because I am good. He doesn’t love me because I write big checks to charity. He doesn’t love me because I DO anything. No, He loves me because His nature is to love.

No longer feeling the need to search for or prove my worth, I am confident because my worth was established on the cross. In dying for me Jesus not only paid for my sins, but He established my value. I am worth the life of the greatest man who ever lived. He gave me dignity. He gave me a sense of assurance that I can face any challenge knowing He’ll be right there with me. He promised me Heaven when I die, His closest companionship while I walk the earth, and His power to do everything He asks of me.

I can boldly go where others fear. I can boldly say what others won’t (you know…..wouldn’t want them to think badly of me). I can speak truth. I can take risks. I can cry in public without fearing that I’ll appear weak. I can put my arms around my buddies and hug them tight and kiss their cheeks without risking my manhood.

I AM confident. I can do ALL THINGS. I can do all things THROUGH CHRIST who strengthens me.

And you can, too. The power is available to everyone. Maybe you ought to check and see if your cord is plugged into the outlet.

When Jesus died on the cross He put a price on you as well. In fact, you and I are both valued exactly the same. We’re worth the price of God’s most precious and only Son.

How’s your confidence?

Put your hope and faith in the right place. The only right measure of your value is the cross.

The world needs confident men and women to make a difference. Be one!