Affirmation and Confirmation

   Deep down, I guess all of us want affirmation or confirmation. One word seems to be the synonym of the other, at least according to the online dictionary, so I might use them interchangeably.

   These words came up this morning in a reading of the 90th Psalm in The Message:

"And let the loveliness of our Lord, our God, rest on us,
    confirming the work that we do.
    Oh, yes. Affirm the work that we do!"

   So I have to think about where I get this affirmation, is there a hierarchy of persons that makes this act more compelling in my mind?

   If I take what I think is a good photo, and someone says, "hey, that is good", does it make a difference who that person is? Would the fact that this confirmation comes from a professional photographer make it more accurate an evaluation? Does that matter to me?

   What if I take a recipe off the internet for oatmeal, and my wife ways that is really good, is that a confirmation that I followed the recipe, or that my skills are good in this area of cooking? If I taste it myself and find that she is right, is that an affirmation of anything?

   Regardless of the situation or the acts that I do, somewhere in my psyche I look for an affirmation that I am on the right track, that I did it right this time. Perhaps this is not a good thing, but it is real.

   I want to do it correctly, and I want others to see it to be meaningful in some way, but the one that I want to affirm me the most is God Himself.

   So when I get up and pray, and read, and walk, and write, I want to please Him. I want to feel His pleasure. When others tell me that I have done a good job, I am thankful, but when He does, I know I am on the right path.

   And there can be another facet to this also. I can be His voice to affirm others. I just need to make sure it is actually His voice and not just my flattery.