Confidence Borne in Humility

Tony Dungy
All Pro Dad | Personal Growth
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"Pride goes before destruction,
a haughty spirit before a fall."
Proverbs 16:18

Time and time again we see examples of the fine line between confidence and pride being blurred, resulting in fall after fall. Pride is all about me. Confidence recognizes that God has given me abilities and created me to fill a unique role that no one else is called to fill. Borne in humility, confidence is a recognition that life is not about me but about using the gifts and abilities I have been blessed with to their fullest. And it’s not just about using the gifts to benefit me, but to help my team and impact others.

I appreciate that form of humility; it’s not a false modesty claiming that what you accomplished or who you are isn’t important, but a realization that God created all of us with unique gifts and abilities. It’s a different dynamic than tearing myself down. Rather, it’s respecting others and trying to lift them up. It’s embracing the idea that God created me for a particular place and time, and sharing that idea with others who were also created to play a role. Once you can do that, it becomes much easier to let go of status or false ideas of respect.