Is there such a thing as overconfidence, or misplaced confidence?
Based on an Alliance for Excellent Education Fact sheet dated March of 2008
The following details how fifteen-year-old students from the United States compare with fifteen-year-olds in other Developed member countries in the Program for International Student Achievement measures of academic proficiency.*
Science: We are ranked 21st of 30 countries.
Reading: We are ranked 15th of 29 countries.
Math: We are ranked 25th of 30 countries.
Problem Solving: We are ranked 24th of 29 countries.
Other sources site that one area where American youth excel is in the arena of confidence. We are first place in confidence despite our poor academic performance, and problem solving abilities.
Even the low achieving of society score high in self confidence.
Perhaps this generation suffers from the same dilemma Israel suffered from when she was brought up out of Egypt.
I say that because self confidence was Israel’s problem when they stood at the base of Mount Sinai after leaving Egypt.
They were ignorant about the fact that as human beings they had been born into sin, by nature they were already unholy. The Commandments were made on the basis of holiness and perfection. These Israelites were so self confident that they failed to understand that they would never be able to do what God in His holiness would demand. But you know, they had self confidence!
Israel at the base of the mountain said to Moses, you speak with God and whatever He tells us to do we will do. They had tons of self confidence! In their minds they were going to adhere to whatever God said they should, and they were sincere about it.
Plenty of misplaced confidence! Did they understand holiness?
About The Author
- Tim Atchley
- Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
- I currently serve as Senior Pastor of Harvest Church in Knoxville, Tn. I was sent out from Trinity Chapel of Knoxville in 1993 accompanied by my wife Sheila our four children Sarah, Hannah, Josiah & Isaac and a handful of bold, brave and committed believers determined to plant our first church. Pioneering is hard work but well worth the journey. That is why we desire to make disciples of Christ who will, like us, also embrace the call to plant churches.
