He Believed in Himself

Jesus was one of the most confident beings who ever lived.  He envisioned himself as a vital opening for the people.  He called himself The Gate....The Door.  He believed his role was also to nurture others.  He called himself The Vine...The Shepherd.  He said he came to light the way.  In other words, he believed in himself down to his very toes.

Belief in oneself is a crucial quality of leadership, because "a house divided against itself cannot stand."  A leaders who fluctuates back and forth sends a very wavery signal.  Like a soprano who can shatter glass by finding that high note and holding it, a leader who can hold that high note, without wavering, can shatter walls.  Jesus had no ambivalence about who he was or what he was supposed to do.

I once attended a seminar where the leader asked, "How many of you believe in yourself 100 percent?" Two people raised their hands.  As the leader went down the percentage scale, more and more people raised their hands.  The majority of the people in the room believed in themselves 75 percent of the time.  The leader then asked, "Why are you afraid to go that extra 25 percent"  What do you think would happen?"

The group leaders asked, "Do you realize that power is assumed, not granted?"  I questioned this at first, but then I thought about the times when someone in a group setting took it over, whether he or she had the authority to do so or not.  How do people get tapped for leadership positions even when they are not looking for them?  Probably because they emanate self-confidence.  They have power over themselves, and people pick up on that energy.

Perhaps we think 100 percent belief equals arrogance.  Arrogance, however, is lack of self confidence, not self belief.  Jesus was never arrogant or cocky to anyone.  Event when he was bound and thrown before the Sanhedrin for trial, he was not arrogant.  Neither did he deny his own power. 

My father, an action oriented person, was never known for his love of poetry.  However, I'll never forget the day he sat down with me to plan my college career.  He said, "Lauri, I learned only one poem in school that stuck with me.  Here it is: 'I bargained with life for a penny, only to learn, dismayed, that any wage I would have asked of life, life would have paid.'"  He looked me straight in the eye and said, "Go for what you want.  You can do anything you set your mind to."

What do you think the world would be like if people believed in themselves 100 percent?  How much damage is done in this country and in the world every day because of humanity's low self esteem?

Home many times have people said:

• "I don't think I have any real power, so I'm going to get a gun and show that guy who's really boss."
• "I can't really change my life, so I'd better escape it.  Give me drugs."
• "I'll never amount to much, so I might as well drown my sorrows.  Make it a double."
• "I'm afraid that you'll take my power aways, so here's a fist, a knife or karate chop."

The list goes on and on.  If only we believed in ourselves, the world would be a better place.

Jesus said he came from heaven and he was going back to heaven.  He came to teach us what heaven was like and how to bring it about on earth and, more important, in ourselves.

Jesus believed in himself 100 percent.

QUESTIONS
How much do you believe in yourself?

What would it take for you to believe in yourself down to your very toes?

Reprint from Laurie Beth Jones in Jesus, CEO