Where do you find security?
Autumn leaves dancing in the breeze. An apple pie baking in the oven. The crack of a baseball bat during a Little League game. A freshly bathed baby. Ocean fog rolling in during late afternoon. The ringing bells of the ice cream truck. These sights, smells and sounds stir up joyful memories.
The search for security
Why do we spend so much time and effort trying to recapture happy moments in our lives? Often it’s because we are looking for a feeling of security. What security means to each person may be as different as the people themselves. You might find security in a full bank account, a spouse that speaks encouragement, or a small group that does life with you. Maybe security is the feeling you get when you are sought out as the one that can solve a difficult dilemma.
But the search for security can also be the thing that weighs you down. When we make our plans for life’s events, they never seem to include being downsized, hearing a particular diagnosis, or even growing apart from people we love. Life's events can leave us scratching our heads or maybe shaking our fists at God and asking, “What do I do NOW? How do I go back and regain the sense of security I used to have?”
The challenge for many is that we’re not sure what keeps us secure when our lives are in turmoil. We know that in our hearts that Christ is our security, but we struggle to wrap our heads around this truth when it really needs to be applied.
Finding your security in Christ
Let this sink in. Jesus is the only one that will never fire you for a poor performance report. He really knows your gifting and will always encourage you. He will never walk away because your stocks are down or you gained weight. He is never too busy to listen to you pour out your heart in excitement or in disappointment. When the world just doesn’t make sense, it is such a blessing to know that HE is the same yesterday, today and forever.
True security comes from knowing that no matter what state our world is in, Jesus has already won. We know the end of the story, and for those that are in Jesus, there is victory. Life may not turn out to be the perfect fairytale that we imagined, but we can rest in knowing that we are never alone.
Jesus cares so much that He died a gruesome death in order to save you. You can have security in His Word and in the knowledge that in the twists and turns of life, He is constant. A relationship with Jesus provides the security that material things will never be able to bring. Dream jobs end, people can disappoint and betray you, possessions can rust or be stolen. But Jesus is your eternal security. In uncertain times, it is a blessing and gift to have a personal relationship with the One who holds tomorrow in His hands and keeps you secure today.
Katie Wood is a church planting pastor’s wife in Brunswick, Maine. She enjoys encouraging pastors’ and church planting pastors’ wives through her life coaching practice, 29:11.