I have confidence?

"I have confidence in sunshine, I have confidence in rain! I have confidence that spring will come again! Besides what you see I have confidence in me!"

It is my favorite scene from The Sound of Music, when Julie Andrews sings those words and marches confidently up to the VonTrapp household, not knowing what she would find, but conquering her fears. I've always wished I could be brave like that. Alas courage is not one of my strong suites. I don't do well handling change. It freaks me out. I freeze and panic and am kind of a mess. I like things to stay the way they are, where they're safe, and I know where things are, where I can control them.

But I'm coming to a point in my life where things are completely out of my control, and I need to start making decisions about my future. But instead of making those decisions, I have been ducking my head and avoiding them. Change is scary, the unknown is frightening! I don't know what I want to do with my life, what career I want, where I want to live.....all those questions that people start asking when graduation comes around, I don't know the answers to any of them.

That fact terrifies me.

And yet, aren't we taught that stress and worry are useless occupations? Where does worry get us in life? What does stress accomplish? They are extremely selfish in all actuality because it's basically saying that I can't trust God to take care of things. Yet in Matthew 6 Jesus says "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?... Therefore do not be anxious saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." (25-34)

Is not life more than food?

And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

My heavenly Father knows the needs and desires of my heart, better than I do! Who am I to say that He cannot or will not take care of me? It's like I'm saying my troubles are too big for God, or too complex. How absurd! As if my little worry could be too big for my God to handle. It's ridiculous!

And yet I continue to worry....what if I don't find a job after I graduate? what if I have to move back home? The economy is so bad what am I going to do?

Where is my confidence? My bravery? My assurance in Christ? The Lord told Joshua "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9)

He has commanded us to be brave! And why shouldn't we be? There is nothing we cannot do with God on our side. If we are in His will, seeking His kingdom first, He will protect us, He will always come through for us! He will be with me on my job interviews, He will be with me if I don't get the job I think I want.

And if I am following His will for life right now, His will for my future will fall into place. I need to trust my Lord and Savior to come through for me. He can. He will. There is no greater love than this.