On Being Cocky

Is it better to be confident or cautious?

But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth; and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it.  1 Samuel 17:34-35

When it comes to encountering obstacles, I like to plan for the best but prepare for the worst.

In a way, I guess, that means I am not as confident as David who was not the least bit worried about his encounter with Goliath.

David knew his strengths and he believed God was with him, because he was fighting for God.

Doing God's work is not only empowering, it is reassuring.  It makes us cocky, overflowing our confidence so we can do what might seem impossible to anyone else.

There is something to be said for that.  I know that I feel there is no way we can fail when we set out to feed the hungry.  And believe me, we encounter many obstacles along the way.

This past week was a good example, with two out of five employees out with illnesses and a third on vacation.  But God provides in many ways, beginning with the confidence that we will be able to get through it.

Confidence is contagious, but not at first.

When David went out to fight, Saul wanted him to wear all sorts of armor, hoping to protect him.  Saul lacked David's confidence.  But David knew the armor would weigh him down and so he refused it.

It was only after David slew Goliath that Saul and the others came to believe in him.  Their confidence in God was bolstered by David's success.

I guess that's how it works.  We need to step out first and show the skeptics that our faith is real and we can achieve success, despite all the obstacles, or perhaps because of them.

God is always with us, and though we get discouraged from time to time, we will not fail if we stay with Him.  That's the kind of confidence we need to have, and if it looks like we are cocky, so be it.

You'd seem cocky too if you had God on your team.

More to come...