I sat there in a room filled with people, my heart pounding.
I was about to share my story of struggling with an eating disorder in college with a few dozen teenagers. I was a mentor to teen moms through Youth for Christ at the time, and I had volunteered to speak that night.
So why was I nervous?
I knew that I was meant to talk about what I’d gone through. Here was a room full of girls, each facing their own challenges, and I wanted them to know they weren’t alone. I wanted them to know that we all go through difficulties, even if our situations are different.
And, mostly, I wanted them to know how God can make a difference.
Like He did for me.
But, even though I knew I had a message of hope to share, I didn’t feel confident.
And as I thought about it, I realized why.
I was approaching that night as if everything was up to me…
I wanted my speech to be inspirational so it could touch the heart of the girls listening.
I wanted the things I shared to be relevant.
I wanted the hope I spoke about to tug at their hearts, so that they could hope too.
I wanted to do a good job speaking so I could make a difference.
And that’s where I got it wrong.
Because it wasn’t up to me. It was up to God. He was the one who reached down and brought peace and healing into my struggle with food. He was the one who changed my life.
And He was the one who could use me to change the lives of others, too.
And as I sat there in that room, praying not to be nervous, and finally realizing it didn’t all depend on me, I began to feel more confident.
When we stop looking to ourselves to be the solution and, rather, start letting God use us for his solutions, that’s when our confidence can shine.
He hears our every prayer.
And with Him in our lives, we can accomplish far more than we ever could alone.
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 1 John 5:14