"CONFIDENCE COMES NOT FROM ALWAYS BEING RIGHT, BUT FROM NOT FEARING TO BE WRONG."

C O N F I D E N C E V S. P R I D E
Sometimes I have the hardest time distinguishing between the two. Where can I draw the line? How can I tell the difference? Pride can be so easily mistaken for confidence. This has been a question in my mind for some time.

I have always lacked in the area of confidence. Not just in self-confidence, but in confidence in others around me, and yes sometimes even in my Heavenly Father. However, I easily fall into the pride area, and find myself making excuses or masking the pride as confidence.

Heber C. Kimball, while serving as a counselor to President Brigham Young, reported: “I will give you a key which Brother Joseph Smith used to give in Nauvoo. He said that the very step of apostasy commenced with losing confidence in the leaders of this church and kingdom, and that whenever you discerned that spirit you might know that it would lead the possessor of it on the road to apostasy.”

Interesting no? That with a lack of confidence in leaders of the church it can lead us to apostasy. Since we know that the church of Jesus Christ as a whole (after being restored for the last time by Joseph Smith) will never fall into apostasy again. It only helps me to see that with the personal lack of confidence we can still experience a personal apostasy and become almost as if we were blind. We won't recognize truth. With that also will most definitely come pride in our hearts.

When I looked up pride in the dictionary what caught my eye the most were the synonyms and antonyms....check it out...—Synonyms 1. Pride, conceit, self-esteem, egotism, vanity, vainglory imply an unduly favorable idea of one's own appearance, advantages, achievements, etc., and often apply to offensive characteristics. Pride is a lofty and often arrogant assumption of superiority in some respect: Pride must have a fall. Conceit implies an exaggerated estimate of one's own abilities or attainments, together with pride: blinded by conceit. Self-esteem may imply an estimate of oneself that is higher than that held by others: a ridiculous self-esteem. Egotism implies an excessive preoccupation with oneself or with one's own concerns, usually but not always accompanied by pride or conceit: His egotism blinded him to others' difficulties. Vanity implies self-admiration and an excessive desire to be admired by others: His vanity was easily flattered. Vainglory, somewhat literary, implies an inordinate and therefore empty or unjustified pride: puffed up by vainglory. 5. boast.
—Antonyms 1. humility.

Is that bold enough? Humility is the only noted antonym which to me tied a lot of things together.

When confidence is restored, when pride shall fall, and every aspiring mind be clothed with humility as with a garment, and selfishness give place to benevolence and charity, and a united determination to live by every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord is observable, then, and not till then, can peace, order and love prevail.

It isn't completely clear to me yet, differences yet, but I try to focus on the most christ-like people I have known, that also seem confident. They must be doing something right....right?

Meet my neices...Kaedyn, Haley, Samantha, and Gracie. These four girls pretty much define both confidence, and humility, innocence, and purity all in one.

They are constanly showing me how to be more christ-like just through the way they are naturally and almost without any effort. That is why I try to spend all the time I can with them. Yes, even if it means always sitting at the kiddie table to eat.

In comparing myself to these four spiritual giants, Mosiah 3:19&21.

19-For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever. unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

21-and behold when that time cometh, none shall be found blameless before God, except it be little children, ONLY through repentance and faith on the name of the Lord God Omnipotent.

My next example is a woman named Maria Ruiz. She lived in Palermo (my first area in the mission field). Maria was raising her children her grand children and three great grand children. They all lived in one room (9 total). Every moment I spent with Maria I felt her unwavering confidence in Heavenly Father and it radiated from every part of her. I saw the look in her eyes, she didn't doubt any trial she had ever been given, she accpeted it, and leaned on the Lord for understanding and help. Her testimony fed mine.

In every area really I found heros, and their confidence and faith carried me during the hardest days.

Gordon B. Hinckley is confidence with a cane! When President Hinckley died I remember feeling a deep sadness, but also a greater hope. Everyone remembers his favorite line, "don't worry everything will work out." Hearing that line whenever he would say it installed a strong insurrmountable hope within me.

My mom is undoubtedly a source of confidence when I feel I am failing, or have lost hope. She has rescued me by helping me to see things in a completely different light.
Many of my companions and others I had the priviledge to serve with were prime examples of confidence. Hermana Mirando made me set a goal to "saltar confiando" which means JUMP WITH FAITH. She taught me to jump even when I wasn't ready...she held my hand the whole way.

I would be dumb not to mention my bestfriend Meg. She pretty much paved has always in a way prepared me. She has always been the confident one (sometimes yes with more pride than is good for her), but I always followed her when I fell short. I don't think I would have had the courage enough to go on a mission without her example of confidence in Heavenly Father and the plan prepared for us.

The purest example of confidence and faith is CHRIST. I guess I always can shed off all of my pride and strive to find confidence when I think of the hope christ has for all of us. To think of the hope, and confidence he had in us that was sufficient enough to lead him to sacrifice his life for us knowing some of us might not accept his offer. I love my savior and I know that he died for us, and that he lives with perfect confidence in our potential as kings and queens.

If I have lost confidence in myself, I have the universe against me.