Experts say the number one greatest fear is public speaking. So public speaking while backflipping on concrete for an audience complied of neighbors, teachers, classmates, even that crush in 4th period must be the ultimate version of that. 

One slip-up, and you’ve face-planted yourself into a viral meme. This, matched with a recurring dream of forgetting pants, is the stuff of pure terror. It’s also what we call cheerleading. 

It’s funny some don’t find it a sport. When a tiny flyer freezes a smile and puts her entire faith into a base made of perky girls with driving permits and menstrual cycles- that’s courage. More than the boys in helmets warming the bench, they enliven the atmosphere. It’s no wonder, we see them as popular and pretty. 

The continual work of rallying up an audience of angsty, pox-marked teens and griping moms demanding game time for their 4th-string sons- has to produce confidence. A unique confidence that sets you apart for great opportunity. 

Meet Miranda

I’ve been working with teenage girls for fifteen years.  Typically when you first converse with them, you’re armed with ready-to-go questions of “How’s school?”  “What’s your hardest class”- and what’s annoying? They rarely elaborate. 

They fire off pre-packaged, mumbled- “just go away” simple sentences as if our discourse is the Spanish Inquisition. Many are painfully awkward, not so with Miranda. She’s carries an effervescent confidence that owns the room. Her smile is wider, and voice is bouncier. 

As an accomplished cheerleader, she’s ready to talk about the things that excite her, and it seems just about everything excites her- but not in a Ra-Ra-Ra! sort of way. 

We all carry an idea of what depressed people look like, but Miranda is the opposite- not the cure or antidote to melancholy, she’s up, vibrant, your much needed double-shot latte. It’s easy to dismiss her as phony, if you didn’t feel up by being around her.

A natural leader on arts and sports teams, I’ve seen her bring out their higher levels. In fact, the only time I've seen her upset was when everyone wasn’t giving their best. 

In an era when cynicism is popular, I wanted to know how choosing consistent cheeriness affects a young-adult’s confidence. 

Julie : So let’s settle the debate. Is cheerleading a sport?

Miranda: Of course! You have to watch competitive cheer, it’s amazing. 

Julie: If I can squeeze it into my Dateline binge-watching, why not. There’s a stigma with cheerleading, what drew you to it?

Miranda: Well, I started in 7th grade. I had just left a small Christian private school, but wanted to be apart of something. I loved the positivity of the sport. So I tried out, and made the team. 

Julie: Being the new girl on the squad and in school, how’d you adjust?

Miranda: Surprisingly, it went well. The girls on the squad became some of my closest friends. You form a tight bond when you’re practicing mounts together. And what was cool, our squad sort of stayed together even in high school. 

Julie: So when entering high school, there comes a new stress, how’d you remain confident?

Miranda: With a cheer team, we cheer on each other first, so you feel supported. Like, we encouraged each other when we failed or nailed a mount. To have that support when I entered high school was really cool. 

The Perks of School Spirit

As Miranda speaks of cheerleading, I can’t help but think of how Hollywood got the cheerleader wrong. The mean-spirited, ditzy bimbo on a warpath ready for lunchroom drama.

The target was always the angsty and artsy girl with black-rimmed glasses who sought individuality as the greatest virtue. As if school spirit was a bad thing.  

I thought this way. Being on the debate team, I felt superior to traditional high-school stuff. All arguments led to considering weapons of mass destruction. I rolled my eyes at student council. Decorated my backpack in “Free Tibet” patches. Scrawled Sylvia Path poems in my journal. Led poetry slams on all the “isms” that held us back. On Valentine’s Day my friends and I wore matching “domestic abuse awareness” shirts with Eve Ensler quotes. We actually thought it was cool. School was the system, and I wanted to be different. 

The truth was, wearing indie clothes and quoting Bob Dylan was easy, and deep down I knew the real renegades were those who chose optimism. Who saw the best in people and themselves. Who brought life wherever they went. With time I learned, critiquing is a simple, isolated life. While creating, builds confidence and community.

Julie: Other than friends, how did cheer help you in high school?

Miranda: When I’d fail, I’d just get back up and try again. You sort of have this boldness to try new things. So my sophomore year, I joined a Christian club. Everyone was basically a senior, but I loved it. I grew so much in my faith. 

Julie: That’s great, and you stuck with it?

Miranda: Yeah, since most of the group graduated, I actually led it my junior and senior year. 

Julie: A Christian club within a public school can be tricky and intimidating, how’d you lead it?

Miranda: We met before school at 6:45.

Julie: That’s way too early- that’s dedication. 

Miranda: Ha, we offered a tasty treat, so that helped. We worked hard at promoting it. We read a new scripture, talked about it, and prayed for a certain national topic. Also, we prayed for our school, and the needs in our group. It was chill, yet really powerful.

Julie: Other than the lure of treats, what do you think bought students in?

Miranda: I think so many craved and sought something authentic- the need for community. When I first led there were only a few of us, but then it grew to a regular group of 30. Students came with so many needs or questions about God, it felt good to create space for them. To pray for peers and lead them to understand God better, grew my confidence. And so it felt good being a bold Christian at my school. Like I was doing something bigger than myself.

The Case for Confidence

Miranda’s ability to lead a Christian club within a public high school speaks of real confidence. And she didn’t lead it as a secret club for Christians seeking refuge, she let it flourish. She let her light shine.

As Christians, we’re supposed to be confident- willing to take risks when God gives opportunities. Instead, so many treat the Christian walk like a personality test. They shy away from opportunities because they’re not extroverted or fear rejection. We must display the ability to bounce back when things don’t work out. 

As a confident Christian, you create better relationships because people feel more at ease around you. And by doing this, we have more opportunities because people believe in confident people. How can we say we’re trusting God to save our souls from Hell and death, but not trust God to get us a good job, a happy family, sell our house, or show us His will for our lives? 

Studies show that women have much less confidence than men. Women ask for a raise 4 times less often than men do.  And when they finally do ask for a promotion or more money they ask for 30% less than men do! When applying for a job, most women won’t even consider a job unless they meet 100% of the criteria. Men will often apply for a job if they meet only 60% of the job responsibilities. Why is it that men do this? Don’t they have doubts? Yes, of course they do! 

But they don’t let their doubts stop them. They charge ahead despite their fears. That’s the culture we live in. But the Bible says that as Christians we are never to conform to the culture we live in. Instead we should be transformed by the renewing of our mind. If you’re struggling with confidence it’s because you don’t trust yourself or God's hand over your life. 

What a lot of teenage girls fail at knowing is that confidence isn’t a personality trait or fashion statement. It’s not luck. Confidence builds confidence. The daily habit of bettering yourself to help others. 

Julie: So you’re now a freshman in college, what’s your plan?

Miranda: I’m so excited. I’m getting ready to study abroad in Australia with a YWAM (Youth With A Mission), and then after that I’m open to what God has for me. I know I want to do something that helps people. I know that as I launch out, that career will be clearer for me… I know God, I know myself, and so I’m stoked for this adventure.  

Stoked. That’s the glimmer in her eyes. To some, Miranda’s choice of not picking the typical trajectory of a state school with dorm life seems odd. What they don’t they see is the history of a young girl who began her journey, tripping over to completely trusting God. She knows her identity. She’s willing to leave a comfortable place, not for Instagram pics, but to seek a new adventure that fulfills her soul’s desire. Miranda’s faith shows us the Christian walk was never meant to be stale or boring. It was never meant to simply attend church and occasionally volunteer. On the contrary, it’s a wild ride. It’s a walk full of deep discoveries and exciting possibilities. Our hearts are meant for adventure. We are meant to be stoked.

Living in adventure comes from confidence. You will never be confident if you don't know the Word of God. The Bible tells us we are "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4). Miranda truly believes that God has His hand on her life. She not only read it daily, but shared it. Led a group centered on it. 

Want to know a secret? 

He has his hand on your life too.  You will feel the most confident when you invest your time, talent, and treasure in pursuing the kingdom of God. Paul lived with awesome confidence, a life of great adventure, because he pushed for the “prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus," and you can too! So get out there!