Confidence

The only vacant chairs in Starbucks were facing two new mothers.  It was easy to tell that this was their first experience.  First, they had far too much stuff.  Strollers, multiple bags, blankets, bottles, and supporting material surrounded their feet.  Even as one child casually slept, her mother restlessly cradled her close to her breasts.  It was as if the two were struggling with a fear that the dream they were in would unexpectedly end.  It was easy to see that they were struggling to hold onto whatever confidence they had.
Far too often I walk through life holding onto a fa?ade, hoping nobody will realize how fragile my exterior is.  My shield is my confidence.  My weapon is my stride, stance, and even dress.  Everything must say I am in control, I know where I am going, and everything is going to work out.  Frequently I am as transparent as the mothers were in Starbucks.  I struggle to know where I am or the direction I am going.  I wonder if my anchor is reliable.  I carry significant doubts that I dare not admit for fear of being misunderstood or labeled as a heretic. 
There is an alternative.  I can revel in the fact that everything is new.  I can seek directions, more than once.  I can even share my journey with others who are headed in the same direction!  You and I have the luxury of a Divine promise that is always with us.  There is no ambiguity in God's words.  “I will always show you where to go.  I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of places-firm muscles, strong bones.  You'll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry.”  (Isaiah 58.11)
Life will not always be easy, yet God will be with us.  Life may not always seem to work out, yet God is always walking along side.  Life may involve sacrifice, pain, and anguish.  God will help carry our load, soothe our wounds, and even shed a tear with us.  We have reasons for confidence.