Is Faith Simply Confidence?

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not. ~ Hebrews 11:1

I had a realization this morning. I woke up to a dream of someone calling me saying, “We would like to offer you the position,” and thought, okay. I hope they call today.  It didn’t feel surreal; It didn’t feel imagined; It simply felt normal.

Yes, perhaps I have been dreaming and hoping and wishing I’d get that call, but even after I received the dreaded email last night from a different prospect that said, “We have selected a field of finalists whose qualifications more closely match those required of the position,” I still held to the fact that I am highly qualified and knowledgeable in the field of writing and digital communications (whether this person thought so or not) AND God has a plan for my life that involves a stable, encouraging career where I can grow and thrive.

Now, on to the title…

Faith is the act of believing something that has not yet come to pass. Confidence, on the other hand, is believing that you hold the key to whatever challenge or circumstance that may come your way. The difference? In my opinion, not much.

Secular belief systems do not give God credit for good that comes into their lives. Instead, they credit luck, hard work and confidence in their abilities (through skill, talent and experience). When you modify the aforementioned recipe to include prayer and substitute confidence with faith and luck with God’s plan, you have the successful Christian’s version of confidence.

Of course, both recipes includes measures of planning, preparation and execution, but all in all, it is my confidence (faith in myself and God’s plan for my life) that will guide me to my next work endeavor. Wait, did I just use confidence in place of faith? Oops.

If you don’t have confidence, you cannot have faith. If your faith is lacking, check your confidence. This is my morning realization. God rewards faith, and confidence makes it happen.

*Note: Faith and confidence are not to be confused with pride

The Whims of Change

I lost my job.

Seriously. Who thought something like this would happen to me, right? It happens to the neighbor, your crazy uncle and the acquaintance who whines all the time, not to me.

I should have seen it coming. Maybe I did see it coming. I felt something for months. I felt my job was complete, that I needed to move on, but I didn’t quite know how to make the change.

Last Monday, I was called into the office and my boss said, “We’ve decided to go in another direction. We have eliminated your job position.” Wow.

I have mixed emotions about about the situation as a whole. I feel disappointed in myself. I often think that if I had done a better job, my position wouldn’t have been eliminated. The other part knows the situation of the office – it was wholesale and doesn’t lend itself to completely to Internet marketing. I also feel hurt that I wasn’t offered another position, however I know business is business.

At any rate, I am confident in myself, that I am knowledgeable in my field and am an asset to any company looking for a marketing coordinator or help in internet marketing. I am taking this time to reconnect with my passion, to understand myself and my talents, and to work towards a landing a position where I can make a difference.

So. One week has passed, and I’ve been looking for a job. I’ve sent out 10 resumes, and I’m still looking. We’ll see what happens from here…