Security

Security is a something we seek and try to grasp and hold for much of our lives. A personality study that I've used says that within our inherited bands of personality, we choose one of three differing manifestations based on how we think we will be secure or safe. Other methods of understanding human choices look at how we define our identity. If we have a strong identity we feel in control and therefor safe. Henry Nouwen wrote that we have three basic human identities based on: 1 health and beauty; people with this identity are often found at the gym or beauty parlor or developing a perfect wardrobe, this group tries with all their effort to avoid getting old or thinking their getting old, 2 Relationships: being a great wife or husband or mother or friend, this group can be shaken by a divorce or children leaving home or something else that profoundly changes their relationships, 3 job or savings; Status or control is found in financial security or job security or feeling indispensible in the company, often their identity is shaken by a layoff or stocks failing or great financial demands made by other issues. Ever watch a guy lose who he is when he is without work and you get the idea. I have to admit I felt very secure in Marsha's love but through our faith we both found more secure identities than that.

Today in Bible study we were talking about how we know we have faith. The fact that doubt is a present reality in most of us, was obvious by the discussion. The scripture spoke of rejoicing in suffering knowing that suffering leads to perseverance and perseverance to character and character leads to hope. We grow in our assurance of our security in God, when we choose to trust God in the hard times. The past few years have brought many changes in my life and Marsha's around all those ways that we feel secure. Retirement, my cancer and hers, moving away from long time relationships, and my losing Marsha for example, and yet my sense of security has not been shaken. I know who I am and whose I am, and I can rest in that knowledge easily. What can make you secure that is not fragile and able to be lost in a moment? Find the rock that can anchor all things and nothing can shake you.