Quiet Confidence

We are quickly approaching November, and as the weather gets colder I find my thoughts shifting a lot. I spend as much time as possible outside just to witness the change in the seasons, and with that comes time to contemplate and write. Today, I was sitting by the river, and it struck me just how big and loud everyone that walked by was. All of them were either talking or on their phone or listening to music. I know from experience that we as a society get anxious without our phones. ANXIOUS!!! How crazy that something so small could give us such security.

I think it’s deeper than that, though. We want to fill our days with noise , a purpose, and a job; and mindless chatter and scrolling fill in the empty gaps. So rarely do we actually shut all distractions out and quiet our hearts and minds. It scares us to do so. We must be busy with something, even meaningless things, all day long.

To be busy is to be important and to be important means having confidence that life is working out for you. We want the confidence to pursue that job, that girl, those grades. We want to know that we are connected and meaningful. Yet how can we have those things when we are constantly distracted by the need to matter to the world around us? A confidence placed in our own abilities and personal goals is a fragile one at best. We will constantly be searching for stability and meaning if we only believe in ourselves and what we can do.

Okay, so far this all sounds like a bummer because we’re all pretty sure we know what’s good for our lives. But what if we all took some time just to be quiet and to listen to what is being spoken into our lives? We would quickly realize that our plans and importance are not in our control. Being the most sociable, likable person does not make you more likely to succeed in this life. Having the most business connections and Instagram followers does not give you a heads up on your neighbor. It could all be taken away from us in an instant. When we put our confidence in God and the purpose He calls us to, all of this becomes minute.

We are an anxious, unconfident society because we believe that it all rests on our shoulders. We are looking to get ahead when we should be looking to be the very last; to serve the least and be the very least. We do not need to fill our day with pointless conversation and hours of social media just to be known. Our confidence comes in the fact that we do not own our future, present, or past. When we realize that, we become satisfied with the silence. We gain a quiet confidence knowing that our God gives us a hope and a future, and He will fill it with what is good.

❤ Lyd