By the grace of God, we will carry on…

Here are my edited highlights from Proverbs 28.

The wicked are edgy with guilt, ready to run off
even when no one’s after them;
Honest people are relaxed and confident,
bold as lions.  Proverbs 28:1

When the country is in chaos,
everybody has a plan to fix it—
But it takes a leader of real understanding
to straighten things out.  Proverbs 28:2

God has no use for the prayers
of the people who won’t listen to him.  Proverbs 28:9

You can’t whitewash your sins and get by with it;
you find mercy by admitting and leaving them.  Proverbs 28:13

A tenderhearted person lives a blessed life;
a hardhearted person lives a hard life.  Proverbs 28:14

Committed and persistent work pays off;
get-rich-quick schemes are ripoffs.  Proverbs 28:20

Playing favourites is always a bad thing;
you can do great harm in seemingly harmless ways.  Proverbs 28:21

They’re pretty self-explanatory, I’m sure you’ll agree.

The one that particularly stands out for me is the first one. I am fascinated by the whole concept of confidence.

I remember experiencing a crisis of confidence a couple of years ago, when I became convinced that I could not parent my five children adequately any more. My teenage daughter, who suffers from attachment disorder, was undermining my confidence from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep. She told me I was useless and pathetic every single day. She told me everything that was wrong with her was my fault. That it was all because I was a bad mum. That they would all be better off without me. That it would be better if I was found dead in a ditch. That sort of thing. Other stuff was going on too that seemed to back up what she was saying.

I tried to love. It tried to be consistent. I tried to be patient. Nothing worked. I lost confidence in the power of love. I lost confidence in my ability to parent. I started to believe her.

I remember walking to a friend’s to pray as we did every Friday morning at that time. I remember thinking that it was all about confidence. That confidence was key. That you needed the confidence to believe you could do your life just to be able to get out of bed in the morning. Confidence to choose what to wear. Confidence to know what to do. Confidence to interact with other people. Life without confidence is no life at all.

I you believe you cannot do something, you are already halfway along the road to failing. If you believe you can, you are already headed in the right direction. The reality of the situation is the same. How you face it is what makes all the difference.

And choosing to have confidence is a choice. It takes mental effort to believe ‘I can do this’. I came out of that prayer session that morning clinging onto the truth that ‘By the grace of God, we will carry on’. I would find a way. A way with God and my husband and friends beside me.

Living life to the full and in God’s way gives us confidence. We have nothing to hide. We have nothing to prove. We know we are not perfect, but we know we’ve got this. We can do this.

Be honest. Admit if you need help. Ask if you don’t know. It’s OK. That’s all part of finding a way to make it work.

This girl can.

Believe it.

This girl can.

By the grace of God, we will carry on.