Girl Talk: Expanded

We promised you more of Jen McCaman's thoughts on confidence on page 28 of the August issue of ec, and we didn't forget about it! So read on for more of what Jen had to say about finding your confidence in Christ alone.

“My story: my senior year of high school, I won the "most talented" superlative and got a giant head. I placed 100 percent of my confidence in getting the lead in our spring musical. Much to my surprise, I landed the role of "third tree to the right." I was absolutely heartbroken. The fall from my pedestal hurt pretty badly. I put confidence in myself, and I got burned.

We all choose where we draw our confidence from. It could be a boyfriend, intelligence, or popularity, but there's only one Person who is worthy of our confidence: Jesus Christ. Christ alone can distribute genuine confidence, and He longs to give it to us.”

Jen also wanted you to know what God says about you:
1. You were bought with a price. “For you were bought at a price; therefore, glorify God in your body” (1 Cor. 6:19-20).

2. You are forgiven. “He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:13-14).

3. You are Christ's workmanship. “For we are His creation—created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10)

4. You can do anything through Christ. “I am able to do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13).

When you see the kind of God He is, you realize that He deserves our confidence. He is willing and able to give us strength to face any trial. He can also give us security that outlasts trends, boyfriends, and test scores.

In the August issue, we also asked Jen to talk about how that kind of God-given confidence can spill out of our lives. She replied that we have to learn to believe that God is indeed trustworthy, that He'll do what He said He would. She talked about what it means to trust God enough to change our lives and learn that He won't let us down. We didn't have room to share her personal story about how she came to know this truth. So here it is:

“When I was in 10th grade, I went out with a guy who did drugs. (We were 15, so we didn't actually go anywhere.) I was a Christian, but God did not have my confidence. I lied to my friends and family and pretty much made excuses for the creep. Finally, my dad showed me a Bible verse that changed my thinking. I dumped the loser, and the next spring, I met the guy who would be my husband seven years later. God always knows what He's doing. It always works out to trust Him, even if it's temporarily painful.”

Check out the rest of Jen's "Girl Talk" on confidence on page 28 of the August issue of ec. And come back on Wednesday for more discussion of Will Snipes thoughts on confidence in "Guy Talk."