Sometimes it feels like the whole world is on a mission to beat down our kids’ confidence. Maybe they are teased by a friend or a sibling; maybe they don’t get the encouragement they crave from a teacher or coach; maybe their own insecurities constantly whisper, “You’re not enough.” And yet, when God created our children, he created them as his masterpiece; when he was finished, he stepped back and said to himself, “Oh, this one is very, very good.”
How can we arm our kids with the right kind of confidence? Sometimes it’s tempting to teach them to put confidence in themselves, and certainly there is a place for showering our kids with encouragement and compliments that build them up. I love telling my kids how beautiful, smart, and talented God has made them. How much I love them and—even more than that—I like them! But confidence that lasts comes from a different place:
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Lasting, godly confidence comes from God and his Word, not from our own looks or achievements or popularity.
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Lasting, godly confidence comes from the unchanging fact that God loves us no matter what. We haven’t earned that love, and we will never have to.
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Lasting, godly confidence comes from the staggering knowledge that God’s love doesn’t fluctuate based on how well we behave or even how much we love God back. Of course God hopes his love will inspire us to give our hearts to him and follow his ways, but he doesn’t love us any less when we make mistakes.
If your kids need a dose of godly confidence, try these 13 scriptures. And hey—read them for yourself, too! I bet you’ll walk a lot taller after you’re done.
