God’s Word Calculus
Confidence can be either positive or negative depending on the circumstances. Today, I want to tell you about my freshman math class selection.
I went to a small high school. My graduating class was only about 110 students. There were about a dozen of us that were highly competitive in regards to grades. But I’m getting off topic.
Anyway, my high school had 5 math classes a student could take. The college bound student was expected to take Algebra, then Geometry, then Algebra II, then the senior level math class. The senior level math class was called Calculus.
Between my Junior and Senior years, one of my older friends needed to take a College Algebra and Trig class at our local community college before he went to the state university. I thought “what the heck” so I took it with him (while also working about 30 hours a week at the mall as I recall). Anyway, I enjoyed the College Algebra class immensely both as it stretched my effort required (in a way I had not experienced much in HS), and because it was an insight into the learning opportunities in college. I got an A.
So, I start my Senior year in HS and I’m finding that I know every topic that came up in the class until the last 6 weeks of high school where a rudimentary level of calculus was introduced.
I’m going through the manual (at that time it required a lot of walking from advisor to register to book store and sometimes to professor to sign up for classes), and my advisor (I was a math major), asked me what math class I wanted to sign up for. I had a good level of self-confidence so I said Calculus II since, in my mind, I took Calculus I in high school.
I did have to stretch my math skills by jumping into Calculus II (besides other classes and at this time, now working full time at the mall). I’m proud to relay that I got an A in the class.
Fast forward to the start of my sophomore year in college. I had successfully taken both Calculus II and III and decided to take Advanced Calculus. We spent the first two weeks proving that 1+1=2 (don’t roll your eyes, it really is much harder than it sounds). I felt 8 feet under water (as a 6-foot-tall person). I remember an appointment with the professor (where I was almost crying), and him trying to reassure me to stick with it and see if it gets better. I did not get an A.
Two very similar confidence decisions with two very different outcomes.
As a Christian, sometimes we find that our decisions (even when we feel the Spirit leading us to make them), can have a bad experience. And this, is what God allows in order to do what He must once we surrender unto Him. He rebuilds us. And oftentimes, we can only learn when we are allowed to go through difficult experiences.
“Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.” - Hebrews 10:35-36 ESV
“This is the path of those who have foolish confidence; yet after them people approve of their boasts. Selah” - Psalm 49:13 ESV
“I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to
the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.” - 2 Corinthians 10:2-6 ESV
I guess confidence can turn out with positive or negative results. The key is, knowing what you know and what you don’t know. May God give me the confidence to express my love for him.
