The Myth of Security

Security. I crave it, I’ll admit. There’s something very basic in me that just longs for safety and comfort. My flesh wants to be safe and comfortable and secure. I subconsciously try to avoid things that would cause me pain or discomfort. It’s within my natural instincts to want to protect myself. Things that threaten my security are immediately red flagged in my psyche as something to be avoided at all costs.

The problem with living for my own security, though, is that if I am mostly concerned with staying safe, I am never going to actually be safe. Helen Keller summed it up beautifully here:

“Security is a myth. The reason we don’t experience it is because it doesn’t exist. Avoiding danger or failure is no safer in the long run than outright risk. Life is either a daring adventure of nothing at all.”

– Helen Keller

In all reality, craving security is just as much of an insecurity as the boldest insecurity we can fathom. We were made to stretch ourselves beyond what our immediate mind puts up as a stopping place. If we never reach forward, we’ll never actually stretch our faith and life muscles, and, as a result, we’ll begin to atrophy on a mental and spiritual level. God wants our trust in Him to be so steadfast, that nothing He asks us to do is too great, because we know He goes with us.

Today, take the first step in that risk you believe God has been calling you to. Once you step out, you’ll realize that He will never ask you to go somewhere that He cannot lead or keep you in. He is with you! That alone is reason enough to have the courage to take those risks, knowing you have the best possible safety net in the arms of a loving Father who wants to see you not just survive, but thrive. Challenge your sense of security today – it’ll be worth it!