Authentic Leadership: How to Lead With Nothing to Hide, Nothing to Prove, and Nothing to Loseናሙና

Authentic Confidence: A Firm Foundation in a Storm

The ability to be authentic doesn’t happen in an instant. It takes genuine confidence, developed over time, to be yourself and avoid the impulse to pretend. Confidence is an indispensable quality of an Authentic Leader. It is only created after battling through seasons of intense challenges. It's an unfortunate reality that trials are a necessary ingredient in producing a deep sense of self-worth, but it's those seasons where we learn the strength of our faith in Christ.

The Wise and Foolish Builder

Jesus illustrates this well in the Parable of the Wise and Foolish Builder. Like most of Jesus’ stories, there are a few interpretations. One of his best-known stories is about two homebuilders, and it’s also about creating authentic confidence. This version is my favorite.

The first builder begins the process of building the house by carefully looking for a strong foundation. He looks and finds solid bedrock, but it’s buried deep underneath a thick layer of sand. It’s going to take much more time and extra work to dig through the sand to get to the rock. Even then, he’ll still need to dig into the rock to begin construction. But this builder has some foresight. He decides the effort is worth it and starts digging, building the base of the house into a rock-solid foundation.

The second builder also begins by identifying the best spot for the home. He finds a spot, close to the first builder, that also has a thick layer of sandy topsoil. But he’s not convinced that he needs to dig a foundation as deep as his neighbor. He digs a foundation into the sand but stops before he hits the rock.

Both homes are finished. Being in the same neighborhood, they both look incredible at street level. Both builders feel confident that they’ve done their best and feel proud of what they’ve built.

Years later, a massive storm hits the neighborhood. In the torrential downpour, rivers rise, the wind howls, and both homes take a beating. When the storm passes, one home is conspicuously untouched. The first builder emerges from his house and looks around at his neighborhood. Immediately he’s thankful that he made the extra effort to build the four corners of his house deep into the rock below. His house stood strong in the storm.

But his neighbor’s home, with a shallow foundation, completely collapsed. All the effort he put into the house was wasted.

The Nature of Authentic Confidence

That’s the reality behind people who possess genuine confidence. True confidence is knowing that your foundation runs deeper than people can see, and is stronger than people understand. It’s knowing your most difficult seasons have left you with an invaluable gift. Your divorce, your diagnosis, your spiritual frustrations, your bankruptcy, your past abuse, or your years of unemployment have given you the gift of resilience. It’s knowing you certainly didn’t enjoy the season of challenge, but you’re now enjoying the confidence that comes after it.

In Matthew 7:21, Jesus repeatedly highlights the word PRACTICE. It isn't the knowledge of God, the discussion of God, or singing about God that leads to a confident life. It's the practice of God's commands that builds a strong foundation. When you're doing what God asks you to do, in increasing measures daily... there's an uncommon confidence that comes from it.

It’s the feeling that, though storms may come and the rain may fall, your spirit will not be knocked down. You’ve been through hard things before, and you won’t be shaken now. It's believing that God works all things for the good of those who love Him... and this current challenge is included in "all things". Authentic confidence is facing the storm, in a neighborhood full of houses built on sand, knowing yours is built on bedrock.