Believing in ourselves is so important. We should believe in ourselves regardless of what others say or think. God created each of us for greatness because He is a great God. We were created in His image. God loves us and wants the best for each of us.
When we look at the life of Jesus, we can see that Jesus believed in Himself. His neighbors and those He grew up within the region of Galilee found it hard to believe in Him and His teachings. There was disbelief that a mere carpenter could be so wise and perform miracles, implying that such gifts could not come from God, and therefore must be from Satan. They make the point that His family is not more special than their own—His four brothers and two sisters lived among them. It is worth noting that although his own brothers did not believe in Him before the crucifixion, His brother James would go on to become a leader in the church and the author of the book of James. His brother Judas would write the New Testament book of Jude.
One Sabbath, Jesus, and his disciples went to the synagogue which had been their custom. On this day, rather than sit and listen to the various visiting teachers that would come to the synagogue, He began to teach. The Jews were accustomed to educated rabbis speaking with wisdom and authority, but Jesus amazed them. Their amazement did not lead to honor and respect, however. Instead, they were skeptical and offended. They questioned Him, stumbling over the fact that someone so common and familiar to them could teach with such power.
And so, we sometimes find that those who are most familiar with a person are the most unsupportive of that person. “You’re so quiet are you sure you were called to preach,” you’re so this or that, are you sure? But if God has given you an assignment, follow the direction of the Lord. To accomplish what it is that God would have you to do, you must believe in yourself—believe that you’ve got what it takes.
The people were perplexed because they knew about the background of Jesus, whereas the coming of the Messiah was supposed to be shrouded in mystery.
Jesus told them, “A prophet is honored everywhere except in his own hometown and among his relatives and his own family.” Jesus did many miracles before arriving in his hometown, yet in his hometown, among His own people, only a few had enough faith to even come to Him for healing. His inability to work was not because He was limited in power, but because he performed miracles in the presence of faith. There was such a void that even He was astonished by their lack of faith. Familiarity can sometimes breed contempt, but we must have confidence in who we are and the God we serve. With God, we have what it takes.
