Absolute security

Three of my favourite childhood memories are based on a feeling of absolute security. I remember the warmth of snuggling up to my mother in the church pew, the relief of being able to snuggle behind my dad’s back whenever I had braved the long, dark passage to my parents’ bedroom. Then of course, there is the complete security when my dad waded into the municipal swimming pool with me in his strong arms – this in contrast with the horrendous experience months before of hanging head first in a drum of water.

Whenever I experience a lack of security as an adult, it is normally something completely different to a childhood crisis. This happens when I fall into the trap that Nicky Gumbel calls catastrophising. He writes: Catastrophising leads to fear and is the opposite of faith. Fear tells you that you will not be able to cope. Faith tells you that your Father in heaven knows when you will need strength to cope and he will supply all you need just in time. (Bible in One Year)

When I allow myself to get worried and anxious, I forget that Jesus is with me in the “boat” of my life and I won’t even recognise Him when He is walking towards me on the stormy waters of life. I find that I sometimes get so overwhelmed by the rumble of life’s storms that I don’t hear when He says to me: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (Markus 6:40 NIV)

God has chosen me as a precious child, a treasured possession. He surrounds me with family and friends, with fellow believers who know Him and who can encourage and inspire me on my journey of growth. Of course, He also wants me to reach out to his other treasured possessions and lovingly encourage them not to catastrophise, but rather to choose to focus on Jesus and live a Spirit-controlled life.

Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but it gets you nowhere. (Glenn Turner) BUT Paul reminds us that ”the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6 NIV) Therefore, I can daily choose to let the Holy Spirit lead me and enable me to live a life of trust and absolute security.