CONFIDENCE: noun con·fi·dence \ˈkän-fə-dən(t)s, -ˌden(t)s\ ; a feeling or belief that you can do something well or succeed at something; a feeling or belief that someone or something is good or has the ability to succeed at something; the feeling of being certain that something will happen or that something is true.

While Merriam-Webster does a great job conveying the idea of confidence, I would like to challenge their definition with my own. As a female, athlete, and Christian I feel like I have a different approach to confidence because of my different lenses.

As a female, society pulls me in many directions when it comes to self-confidence. "This makeup will make you confident in your own skin...Jeans that fit you just right so you have a boost of confidence...Enrolling in our classes will provide the confidence you need to succeed." On top of our own desire for confidence, the most attractive quality from a guy's perspective is most commonly confidence. We are constantly told we are to be confident, especially in the way we present ourselves. It's the "look good, feel good" mentality.

While society tells me I need to look good to be confident as a female, the world of athletics present another aspect. Coaches crave confident players. Someone who can get the job done when the game is on the line because he/she is confident in him/herself and the team. The temptation as an athlete is to let your confidence rely on your abilities and talents. When you're on the court or field your self-talk isn't about your character or your impact of the community through volunteering. You're thinking of the next ball, your roles, making plays. Coach doesn't play the players with the highest GPA's or the most volunteer hours. The box score keeps statistics of performance, so athletes oftentimes root confidence in their talents and abilities.

Thomas Wurtz words the confidence of a Christian perfectly in his book Compete Inside (HIGHLY RECOMMEND). He writes, "...My confidence should not lie in my abilities and talents. It should lie in the reality that I am loved beyond understanding. That is what brings a lasting confidence..."

Merriam-Webster's definition of confidence centers around success. However, I want my definition of confidence center around "reality that I am loved beyond understanding".

My one of my favorite bible verses is 1 John 4:18-19. A couple verses before my favorite, you can find the home of confidence's definition:

"We have come to know and to believe in the love God had for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him. In this is love brought to perfection among us, that we have confidence on the day of judgement because as he is so are we in the world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfected in love. We love because he first loved us." -1 John 4:16-19

Confidence is rooted in love. Not the love of self, but the love of someone who died to know you. Once I am able to understand the truth of who I am and where my value lies, I can be confident. Only when I realize I am a child of God and my infinite value lies in His hands and His hands alone, I am confident.

The word confidence comes from the Latin root fidēs, meaning "faith". Drop the "-nce" and you're left with "confide" meaning to show trust in a person. The word alone calls us to have faith in someone other than ourselves: the One who made us.

Sure you feel great when your outfit is on point or when you score the game winning touchdown. But true confidence is rooted in love. His love.

CONFIDENCE: noun con·fi·dence \ˈkän-fə-dən(t)s, -ˌden(t)s\ ; the total belief that one is created in the image and likeness of God and is loved unconditionally.