Confidence

Cast not away your confidence, for with it is great reward.

Photography by Abigail Williams

Mrs. Karen Wheaton has this saying,
“You never know what’s hidden behind your ‘yes’ and you never know what’s lost behind your ‘no’.”

That statement rings in my ears all the time now,

But a few days ago more than normal.

My friend Makenzie and I were at Chili’s on our long overdue girls day.

As I was eating my lunch, our waitress walked by and filled up my water and I just started talking to her and telling her that she was amazing because she was so friendly and intentional with serving us and she laughed, thanked us and mentioned something about her hand (which was broken and in a cast) and casually proceeded to walk away.

Once she was out of sight I looked at Makenzie and was said, “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

And Mak while laughing says, “Healing?”

And I respond back, “YES!”

She then passes us going to another table and I ask if we can pray with her when she gets a chance, and she says, “Yes, I need prayer for my hand!”

We end up praying for her hand, and she moved her fingers that she couldn’t move before, but still had a cast on and had an appointment that week with the doctor to see if she needed to have surgery on it.

But, on the ride home I couldn’t shake the feeling I had looking down at my meal (since I’m an overcomer of food addiction) and then up at our waitress as she talked about her hand.

It’s crazy how we allow such seemingly small weights to hold us back.

And not only hold us back, but hold back those around us who are waiting for break through.

It’s like Hebrews says in chapter 12,

“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.”

I don’t ever want to overlook someone because of my own selfish weights that I refuse to put down.

Had I been bound with condemnation and fear of that issue, I don’t think I would have looked up and seen her nor felt the confidence to approach her and know that my best friend, the Lord Jesus Christ, would heal her.

Friends, the only way I’ve found freedom is by running the race before me with my eyes meeting Jesus’s.  

And He truly is the only source of my freedom.

He is the only source of all freedom.

He’s the best friend I’ve ever had.