Choosing confidence

We choose what attitudes we have right now. And it’s a continuing choice.
– John C. Maxwell

Today in our laurel class (young women ages 16-17) we talked about confidence, how to get it, the importance of it, what kind to get, and how it’s different from self-esteem.

One of my favorite scriptures is:

Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith,
and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly;
then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God;
and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.
Doctrine & Covenants 121:45

Last month we talked about what it means to garnish your thoughts. Today we talked more about how virtue does that and how that results in confidence in the presence of God.

When the world talks about self-esteem they talk about the value you have based on those around you, based on how you compare to them and what you can offer them.

But that’s not the type of confidence this scripture talks about. This confidence is not based on how you compare to the world, but how God sees you. God sees you for who you really are, his child. He knows you. He loves you. He knows what you are capable of. And he wants nothing more than to see you succeed.

We all have weaknesses that can make us feel like we are inferior at times, but we are here to overcome them, to turn them into strengths. Not to say “this is just who I am and everyone has to accept it.”

When a man makes war on his own weaknesses he engages in the holiest war that mortals ever wage. The reward that comes from victory in this struggle is the most enduring, most satisfying, and the most exquisite that man ever experiences
– Bryant S. Hinckley, That Ye Might Have Joy [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1958], p. 83

In the October 2010 General Conference, Elder Scott gave a talk about how acting on our faith in the Lord builds our character and strengthens our testimony. That strong character and testimony are the virtue that guards are thoughts and allows us to stand with confidence, knowing who we are and our true worth, in the presence of God.

A strong testimony gives peace, comfort, and assurance. It generates the conviction that as the teachings of the Savior are consistently obeyed, life will be beautiful, the future will be secure, and there will be capacity to overcome the challenges that cross our path.
– Elder Scott, “The Transforming Power of Faith and Character,” General Conference, October 2010

This world is nice and all, but I choose to let God define my worth. I choose that kind of confidence. And I choose to put in the work required to gain it.