{Be Confident} HOCO + Pep Talks VS Prep Talks

Every now and then everyone needs a good pep talk.

In fact, I used to give myself pep talks: Lots of  ‘em.

I was the girl that looked herself straight in the mirror and said, “You’re awesome, you’ve got this!”

Some of my more noteworthy pep talks occurred while driving somewhere.   Imagine, if you will, stopping at a stoplight and looking to your left to see the driver pointing at her rearview mirror- feisty and fearless- passionately raging about something you can’t hear.…

Kinda looks like road rage, doesn’t it?  Stop lights, and rear view mirrors were never a problem until I mixed them with pep talks.

I soon realized that maybe it would be best for everyone if I saved my “self pepping” for closed quarters.

It was there, in the closed quarters of my bathroom that one of my more infamous pep talks occurred.

I was readying myself for an evening out.   The last curl had been pinned in place when I paused to look at my reflection.  The red lipped, freckle faced girl stared at me, and I returned her gaze.  “You’ve got this,” I whispered.  “ You know what you’re doing. You are unstoppable.”

But it didn’t stop there- I kept going.  I kept telling myself how awesome I was.  I applied my last layer of hairspray like the evening depended on it, and rushed out the door.  Only to return, hours later, completely devastated.

It was a really humbling moment for me.

Why?

Because the whole time a part of me knew that I didn’t have it all together.  That’s why I was giving myself the pep talk to begin with- I had doubt.  I had a lot of doubt.  And just because I was peppin’ myself up behind the closed door of my bathroom, didn’t mean I didn’t look totally crazy doing so.

My thought process when I returned was filled with “What if’s ” and “If only’s”- as if those would have changed anything.  See, I had set myself up for failure, because I made it all about me.  I believed that I could convince myself that I was good enough.

But that’s just it.

I know you’ve probably heard this before: It’s not about us, it’s about Jesus.  But let me take that a step further- nothing is about you, and nothing about you is good.

Nothing.

No, really.

It applies to me too.

Let me let that sink in for a second, because when I honestly realized it, I was so, so, humbled.

(And to be honest, I struggle with that every day because a part of me longs to prove that there is something good in me. That’s pride, and that’s another talk, for another time and a whole other pan of mac and cheese.)

A part of you agrees with me, and a part of you is probably trying to find something good.

Its that tiny part that agrees with me that I want to speak to right now. Like a small glowing ember in a dying fireplace, let me breathe this truth over you:  It’s. Not. About. Us.

It’s about something totally bigger than us.

See, everything about the world has an ulterior motive.  Everything about me does too.  But Jesus isn’t about ulterior motives, he’s too authentic for that- too incredible.  Jesus is about changing hearts and Glorifying God the Father.  Therefore if Jesus lives in you, and you’ve given your life to him, everything about you has to die in order for something truly good to live.

That’s where Holy Confidence comes in.  Holy Confidence.  Let’s call it HOCO.

HOCO takes the pressure of perfection off of yourself- and gives it to the definition of perfection: Jesus Christ.  

See, that is the luxury of being His, we don’t have to have it all together or say all the right things all the time.  Jesus wants us- all of us- our mess, our stress, our troubles, our anxieties, our insecurities, everything.  And he wants to transform it.  Jesus never asks us to prepare ourselves for him to do something incredible- he just wants us to be a part of what he’s doing.  He invites us in.  He wants us, regardless of if we fail or succeed because it’s not about WHO we are or WHAT we do, but WHOSE we are.  He wants us to be his.

It’s mind blowing, really.

When we understand the concept of HOCO, everything changes.  We walk into a room not looking for how we can be accepted or loved, but instead, we look for ways to accept and love.  We don’t stress or worry about what we should do, but instead, strive to focus on the way things are done.  We are not anxious about the things we cannot change, but instead, we are assured that nothing that Jesus touches can stay the same.

And those pep talks?  They’re awesome, but I do things a little differently now.  Now, I give myself prep talks.  No, really, it’s true.  See, pep talks are all about me.  But prep talks are all about Christ.  Prep talks prepare my heart for the ultimate truth : God’s got it (whatever it is) and I’m his girl.  Earthly troubles kind of pale in comparison when you remember that you’re on the same team as the creator the universe.  Through Scripture, and vocalized prayers, prep talks remind me of that.  When you have HOCO you don’t seek for satisfaction or belonging in things or people.  You find satisfaction in knowing it’s all about Him.

That’s how the world is changed, my friend.  It’s changed when we believe that the creator of our hearts has made us for a purpose that far surpasses our understanding.  Therefore our purpose isn’t about us, no, it’s about something far greater than us.

And that is nothing short of amazing.

xo

AnnaFilly