I just finished reading Beth Moore’s, So Long, Insecurity. Actually, I listened to it as I did laundry, taxied kids around, and washed dishes. My newfound discovery of Hoopla and Libby has really made my heart happy and is simultaneously teaching my Abigail how to share her monthly allotment of books.
So Long, Insecurity includes a subtitle, “you’ve been a bad friend to us”. I think Beth’s idea to personify insecurity was ingenious. Identifying the nagging feelings that cause us to act out in a host of unhealthy ways as a lingering “friend” helps me to recognize how familiar these feelings have become. Not only have they become familiar, but they have also convinced me that these unhealthy thoughts are just “who I am”. Like they are a “friend” who just won’t leave.
Whether we know it or not, we all have areas where we feel insecure. We can be insecure in our physical appearance. We can be insecure in the way we relate to others. We can be insecure in our marriage, in the way we parent, or in our friendships. We can be insecure in the way we preform our job or ministry or the language we are supposed to speak fluently. You name it, and the enemy can use it against us. When we compare ourselves to others, we are always elevating the other person or ourselves, which is judging, and that is sin.
Insecurity begins in our minds and thoughts but make no mistake in thinking it stays there. Insecurity can wreak havoc on relationships, especially those closest to us.
Insecurity makes us act crazy, say ridiculous things, and places unrealistic expectations on others. Insecurity is not a “hidden game” we play in our minds of sizing up our competition. It is wrong and sinful and destructive to all. Insecurity is a sly scheme of the enemy to get our focus off of all that is pure and holy and good and makes us focus on all the negative we can find. And believe me, we can always find it! That was the first step for me in my battle against insecurity. It is NOT of the Lord and does not bring glory to His name…therefore, it is something that needs to be snatched out. Compare it to a weed in our lives that has deep roots but remember that we have a Gardener who is willing and able to prune willing hearts.
In her book, Beth Moore brings up an interesting fact. When we feel insecure about something, it causes us to feel vulnerable in some area. Feeling vulnerable is like standing unrobed in front of a large audience. Because we feel so out of control in those moments, we can act in very unhealthy ways…and for good reason…we are naked for crying out loud.
But.
But God.
I love this new little “phrase” in Christianese…” but God”. The situation may seem impossible, “but God”. I may be a basket case, “but God”. My husband doesn’t hear my heart in this, “but God”. My child is far from the Lord right now, “but God”. As long as we are living with God at the end of our sentences, there is always a rainbow in the storm.
So feeling naked, insecure, and vulnerable may be the lie we are believing, but God tells us in Proverbs 31, verse 25, “strength and dignity are her clothing”. Isn’t that beautiful? The truth to battle the insecure lie is that HE clothes us…and not only does He clothe us, He wraps us with strength and dignity. That is the truth. No longer do we have to believe the lies that have haunted us and plagued us with fears, but rather we can believe the truth of WHO clothes us.
I want to to encourage you that insecurity plagues most people in some way or another, but it doesn’t have to. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, you can be free from the baggage and chains of feeling “not good enough”. Stop thinking that “it’s just the way I am” and start fighting for the healthy freedom that Christ offers.