This week I pondered some of the various things that we tend to depend on for security. Like many kids, since the time I was just a little girl, stuffed animals and favorite toys were symbolic of my perceived security. I remember holding onto some of them as though my entire well-being depended on them. As I grew, security more often than not translated through relationships and people. Now, as an adult and parent, I sometimes foolishly misconstrue security in terms of job markets and insurance policies. I’m grateful to know better, though. From the doll to the person to the policy, true security simply can’t be obtained by earthly measures.
The Basis of Insecurity
My thoughtful son asked me one day if I believe that everyone without Christ is insecure. I paused for a moment, considering how he was understanding the concept, and how I had misunderstood security at various times in my own life. Then I confidently answered “yes.” The Bible says that God has created us to worship Him and to be in relationship with Him. It was He who specifically created the same God-sized hole we all have for the Savior, the one in which we can’t find true rest and peace until He fills it. And without that, I don’t think any of us can find our security in anything or anyone else, even special objects, people, or things that we’ve become attached to. Without sounding pessimistic, it’s inevitable that man and man’s “objects” will let us down because even with the best intentions, none of us can produce eternal provision like the Savior can. And as Jesus says, the truth shall indeed set us free. Not one believing Christian needs to be chained to an identity with or to anything other than the power of Christ because of the security of His eternal victory.
Not Beyond the Need to Cling
My husband will be the first to tell you that I’m not beyond the age of stuffed animals or the tendency to cling to things or people for comfort. That’s part of the lifelong dependence that God is working out of me. But I’m grateful to know that I no longer need to hold something in my hands to feel secure in this life. It’s taken me a long time to get there. My prayer today is that all three of my boys will learn that truth faster than I did. And until then, I pray that God will continue to speak softly into their lives in the places developing even now that are calling His name.
