Humble Confidence

Great quote to soak on from Brennan Manning's Ruthless Trust:

Before you read, pause.....pause....slow down....now listen....

"The more guilt and shame that we have buried within ourselves, the more compelled we feel to seek relief through sin. As we fixate in our jaded motives and soiled conscience, our self-esteem sinks, and in a pernicious leap of logic, we think that we are finally learning humility.

On the contrary, a poor self-image reveals a lack of humility. Feelings of insecurity, inadequacy, inferiority, and self-hatred rivet our attention on ourselves. Humble men and women do not have a low opinion of themselves; they have no opinion of themselves, because they so rarely think about themselves. The heart of humility lies in undivided attention to God, a fascination with his beauty revealed in creation, a contemplative presence to each person who speaks to us, and a "de-selfing" of our plans, projects, ambitions, and soul. Humility is manifested in an indifference to our intellectual, emtional, and physical well-being and a carefree disregard of the image we present.

No longer concerned with appearing to be good, we can move freely in the mystery of who we really are, aware of the sovereignty of God and of our absolute insufficiency and yet moved by a spirit of radical self-acceptance without self-concern."

I think Paul Tillick said that faith is "accepting that you are accepted."

Let's live in the truth today!!!!

SIDENOTE: Encounter is hosting Brennan Manning next February, 2009...here in Birmingham. Mark your calendars...