Day 8 {confidence}

You’re back! I’m astounded! And very pleased! Day 8 of the 31 Day Writing Challenge and I haven’t given up yet! I’m glad you haven’t either.

If you are new to this series please feel free to start at the beginning or just jump in where ever you like! All the posts will be linked at the bottom of this first one.

Today we worked a bit on the gathering {autumn} list from yesterday and went thrift store shopping for some clothes for our Storyteller. 

Have you ever noticed that men’s clothing, by the time it hits the thrift stores is either stained, ratty, soooooooooooo out of date or just hideously ugly? Hmmmm. I should know this about menswear because the two wonderful men in my life both hold on to their clothes until they are either falling apart or shamefully outdated! 

It’s not helpful when you’re trying to thrift for a rapidly growing 14 year old that all of the really nice men’s clothes are suited more to a grandpa than a 6’1” teenager. It’s a hunt – that’s for certain! Sometimes you find a gem, but you have to dig through a lot of junk to find it! Today we came away with one really nice pair of Sunday dress pants for our boy. One pair.

Our Dreamer however had a great morning at the thrift store and found 6 really cute like new pieces for her bursting at the seams closet. Figures! I also found two sweaters for me and a sweater to felt – all for $13. It’s all washed up and ready for ironing.

The other gathering for {autumn} today was a lovely gift from a gentleman at church – 3 big bags of lovely organic apples that he picked from his neighbor’s tree. I’ll be canning sauce and apple butter soon! Yeah for fall! Yeah for thoughtful friends!

Today I am intent on gathering {confidence}

confidence

[kon-fi-duh ns] 

noun

1. full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing.

2. belief in oneself and one's powers or abilities; self-confidence; self-reliance; assurance.

3. certitude; assurance.

It never ceases to amaze me that God cares enough to point me in the right direction. Sometimes He just makes it so very obvious for me … which I appreciate! In my quiet time this morning I was lead to read:

          Hebrews 10:31, 35-37  ^“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.”

Our Storyteller continues to work in his AWANA Trek verses even though we don’t have Trek at our church and there he was in Psalm 118:8 “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes.”

Repetition in Scripture is God’s volume control and Psalm 118 is full of it – I got the message loud and clear, did you?

When we finally got down to school work this afternoon, {confidence} was showing up all over the place. Spelling, vocabulary and even math!

Tonight at AWANA a bright little 2^nd grader told me she had asked God to forgive her sins and asked Jesus to be her Savior, but she wasn’t confident that if she died today she would go to heaven. It was so exciting to share with her all of the Scriptures that prove that we can have complete confidence in our salvation and in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Her amazing smile of understanding was such a blessing.

I’ve spent time in prayer this week for so many who are hurting, in danger, at a crossroads, facing a health crisis, lost in sorrow, and struggling with pain and each time I have not known what to pray, I’ve prayed Scripture for them remembering this: 1 John 5:14" And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us.”

There are some areas of my life in which I {finally} have a little confidence, but the one area where I have absolute confidence is in the truth of Scripture and in the unfailing love of God for me.

Proverbs 14:26

In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.

Where do you gather your {confidence} when loved ones are hurting and the world seems more unsettling by the minute?