I rejoice because I have complete confidence in you.

2 Corinthians 7:16

Paul wrote that in a letter to Corinth. Now I’m writing it to you. Here’s why:

1. You got up this morning. You chose to greet a new day. Sure, you may have been grumpy before your first cup of coffee, or cursed at the traffic, but you made a choice to keeping living this life. One more day filled with all the joy, sorrow, boredom, adventure, and possibility that life has to offer. I have complete confidence in you.
   
2. You choose to believe. Call it faith, call it hope–you have invested yourself in something greater than you. An underlying conviction that all of “this” has some underlying meaning, that life serves a purpose. This will propel you forward, sometimes just one halting step after another. I have complete confidence in you.
   
3. You have skills. I mean, you really do. No, I probably don’t know what they are but I’m sure you have some. I’ve never met a person who didn’t. Yours may be self-evident or emerging, honed to expertise or still in the experimentation stage, but you have skills and abilities, gifts and talents, all of which offer you the opportunity to express yourself into this world. I have complete confidence in you.
   
4. You are wise. You’re probably also foolish, but that doesn’t take away from what you’ve learned from your experiences. You hold a unique and valuable collection of thoughts, feelings, and memories, all which give you a quintessential view on the world. That wisdom will just keep coming, and it will serve you well. I have complete confidence in you.
   
5. You have potential. Within you is the power (God given!) to do great things in this world. Great big life-altering things, or tiny little difference-making decisions along the way. Ways to be a force of good, sending out ripples of grace providing impact you may never even know about. I have complete confidence in you.
   
6. You are human. You need rest. You get irrational. You make mistakes. You tell dumb jokes. You take pleasure in little moments along the way. You live the fullness of what it means to be human, and you do it with your own special flair. You, just the way you are, are loved, and will continue to be loved. I have complete confidence in you.

I could go on, fellow traveler, but I bet you get the point. Every one of us out here on the road of faith deserves a solid pat on the back now and then. Not like some meaningless participation trophy, but as an affirmation for each brother or sister in Christ. It’s a reminder that Christ has that kind of confidence in us.

Do you think you can pass along some affirming words to someone else?

I have complete confidence in you.

Have a great week,

Mitch