Jingle Bells, Mary's Song...and Confidence

Last night I joined with 3,000 other folks to participate in Dallas' annual Jingle Bell Run. Among the highlights? A man dressed as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, including the full body of a reindeer (with legs...and wheels). How he was able to run 3.2 miles with that thing attached to his body, I'll never know...but he absolutely wins the prize for "best costume." Among the runners were Santas and Elves, and people with Christmas tree lights wrapped around them...it was very cool! Way cool! I'll have to work harder on my outfit next year, since my only costume last night was peppermint-striped socks with white fur cuffs, and a jingle bell bracelet. I guess my socks were pretty cool though, because 4 or 5 people stopped to ask me "where did you get those socks??"

Note to self: Keep the peppermint socks in 2011, but add Christmas tree lights to complete the outfit (multi-colored, flashing lights would be best).

The Gospel reading is from Luke today, and is known as The Magnificat (or also, The Song of Mary). It is a beautiful passage, in which Mary praises God for all that he has done for her, and is her response to the realization that she is pregnant with the child who will become the Messiah for his people. Passages like this one, that have been the focus of attention for so many years, are often less impactful to me; however, tucked into the Gospel reading, just ahead of The Magnificat, was this verse:

"Blessed is she who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"

This verse spoke to me of one thing: confidence. Mary had, deep within her, a confident belief that what the Lord said to her would be accomplished. The word "confidence," among other things, means to have complete trust in the power, reliability and trustwortiness of the person or thing in whom your confidence is placed. When we consider the immensity of the promise made to Mary, it makes her confidence even more significant.

All through scripture, we are told that what God cherishes most is our trust in him...our confidence in his character, his goodness, and his reliability to accomplish all that he promises. He doesn't cherish religious rituals, or empty worship that is more lip service than life giving...he has no need of these things. What God desires is our confidence, our faith in him, and our heartfelt trust that all he promises to us will be accomplished. But there are times, I know, when it is hard to keep our confidence...circumstances and events roll over us, and life seems to happen in ways that are painful and unwelcome.

Have you lost your confidence in his power, his realiability, or his trustworthiness in recent days? I'll close today with a portion of our daily reading from the Psalms:

"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit....His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man; the Lord delights in those who trust him, who put their hope in his unfailing love..."

I mentioned the Jingle Bell Run today because the process of running a race continually reminds me of how easy it can be to lose your confidence...life is very much like a race...we start out with a sense of excitement and anticipation, and then our legs get tired, and the breathing becomes difficult...and the finish line seems so far away. We need confidence in order to make it through the race...to endure the bumps and hurdles along the way...to stay the course.

Maybe your trust is wounded this Christmas...perhaps your heart has been broken, your confidence shaken...and the race seems too overwhelming. If so, take comfort in these words, and in the knowledge that our God is a gracious God. He is a kind and compassionate God, and in his time, all that he has promised to you will be accomplished. So, strengthen the legs that are weary, and the knees that are weak...and stay the course. All will be well in the end.