Fill the Gaps - Security Breach

I'm probably one of the most insecure people I know, which is ironic because I work with Jr. High girls. I'm just going to be honest and say I think they are more secure in who they are than I am half the time. Maybe that's why I identify with that group of people best...? Insecurity means a lack of confidence. Uncertainty about oneself. Questioning of your worth and place in this world. But security is not found in anything that can change.

We try to find security in relationships. Singles scramble to keep any prospect in their lives just so they feel secure in marriage. Not a good place to find security.

We try to find security in careers. Feeling a sense of accomplishment and worth in a place that we know won't always be there. Not a good place to find security.

We try to find security in power, beauty, money, people, things...all horrible things to find security in.

Find a security in the One Who says He will never leave you or forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6) That will never change, no matter how much you do. When we find security in Christ, nothing else will matter in 100 years. If you truly put your trust in Him and your life in His hands, you have nothing to worry about.

Ruth didn't try to squeeze God into her plans, but she followed the urging from God to go with her mother in law, to a place where no way ever would she find a future, just because of her origin. Ruth simply went about every day life, working to provide for Naomi and herself and God saw her heart and provided not only a living, but a man who honored Him and found favor in Ruth because of her lovely character and diligence. Ruth didn't show insecurity, she showed faithfulness and trust in a God she was just meeting. It is incredible to see how faithfulness wipes away insecurity.

I love the words to Lauren Daigle's song, You Say. It speaks volumes of how we should view security in Christ alone. If you haven't heard it, check it out here!
But the premise of the song is that we fight voices that say we're not enough, we are not loved, we are not worthy, but God says just the opposite of those things, and we should believe that what He says is true.

Insecurity will not only destroy you, it will destroy your relationships. Insecurity will place standards on people around you, mostly on your spouse or significant other, that they can't fill. Only God can fill them. The problem here is that you are trying to find security in humans, not God. The same goes for church. Church is a funny line because it is God's, but it is ran by imperfect humans. Many, many, many times people storm out, throw fits, or rant about how awful a church is because it didn't give them what they needed when they needed it. Again, where is the security here?

Insecurity in your career will leave you on mountaintops that will quickly tumble down into valleys, leaving you wondering why you're not happy. They you'll be scrambling back up the mountaintop again only to find yourself exhausted after each run, and depressed when you tumble back down.

Remember what God thinks of you and ask Him to reveal to you repeatedly the truth He has for you and about you. Insecurity creeps up from every direction - social media is a biggie, but God's Word is filled with love for you. See the things of this world, the circumstances of this life, and the accomplishments of your abilities as vapors that will be gone in the blink of an eye. See God's security as the eternal, secure picture that you should cling to hardest.

Scripture to Read:
Deuteronomy 31:6, Hebrews 13:8

Questions to Ponder:
How does knowing that God is the same always encourage you?
What sorts of things are you putting security in that are leaving you frustrated and depressed?
How can you take steps today to remind yourself of what God thinks of you, so you can get out of the cycle of temporary securities?

Agape Love - Lose the Evil Laugh...

One evening, my hubby and I were heading out of town for an appointment, and the weather was less than ideal. There was heavy snow, causing slush on the freeway, but everyone seemed to be minding their "take it slow in ice and snow" advice that every Michigan road billboard scrolls in that kind of weather, until we got to Muskegon. Now, I apologize if you are from Muskegon, and I'm stereotyping your people, but every time I make a trip to Grand Rapids there are two points of the trip that have the craziest drivers. I-96 and Muskegon. This particular night proved my point well. As someone sped by us in the passing lane at more than 70mph, might I add, splashing slush all over our already hard to see out of windshield, we just shook our heads and secretly hoped they would be in the ditch in the next mile. (C'mon! You've all thought it too! Or you wish a cop was right around the corner.) While this never ever happens for us, this evening we got to experience the sweet satisfaction of someone having to eat their actions. This person did not go in a ditch, but spun out in front of us, flew across the lanes and ended up on the (thankfully) wide shoulder, facing the wrong way of the flowing traffic. She was fine, her car was fine, but she just looked epically ticked off. As we went our 35-45mph past her, we couldn't help but feel a little bit of delight as we chuckled together. (Yeah, we're horrible people.)

Agape love does not delight (rejoice, be glad) in evil (unrighteousness, injustice), as we continue to read in 1 Corinthians 13. While I know that it wasn't nice to feel glad that the girl who drove erratically near us to get what she deserved, this characteristic of agape covers all sorts of things we can take delight in that we shouldn't. From bigger, most evil things to smaller, everyday overlooks, we can take delight in so many things that we shouldn't. It can be helping a friend cheat or soaking up juicy gossip about someone who failed or fell short. It could be feeling a little bit of satisfaction when someone who hurt you gets hurt. It could be rejoicing when something goes your way when you know deep down that it is the wrong choice, or wrong by God's standards.

Isaiah 5:20 warns, "woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter."

There are many warning signs we can look out for to tell us if we're drifting into delighting in evil.

You rub it in people's faces when you're right. When you are correct in seeing a situation pan out the way you thought, or you have more knowledge than someone else, you will point it out as soon as you know.

You feel even a little satisfaction when someone else fails or gets hurt. This stems from a heart of insecurity and jealousy. Not only do you feel satisfaction in the failure, but you point it out in gossip or even to the person's face, just to let it sting harder.

We need to realize that delighting in evil comes from a place of pride and insecurity. It is a problem we have that we need to address and grow from. And in doing so, we become better in relationships in every aspect of our lives. Rather than rubbing failure and hurt and taking a bit of joy from it, we can hurt with someone and be there for them. Start by practicing some things to help you take right steps:

Humble yourself. It's amazing how powerful humility is. Humility causes you to hold your tongue. Humility helps you point out someone else's successes, rather than rub salt on their failures. Humility makes you realize that you could be that person in that position, and maybe you are, which is why you hurt everyone else too.

Don't feel like you need to tell others what you believe about a person and their lives, because you don't. The only thing you should know is that if someone hurts, they're lives are already miserable at the moment.

Take steps to seek the best interest for someone else, rather than justifying your anger or frustrations in laughing at the frustrations of others. Recall the words from Philippians 2:

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interest of others."

Scripture to Read:
Isaiah 5:20, Philippians 2:2-4

Questions to Ponder:
What are some examples you can think of in the Bible where someone "delighted" in evil?
What are some ways you may slip into "delighting" in evil, whether big or small?
How can you address the insecurities that lead you to those tendencies?