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May 03, 2021 08:00am

Do We Need Safety or Security

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For years, I have struggled with not feeling stable and secure anymore. It’s caused me to struggle with both anxiety and depression at times. I have struggled with the Lord even more, though, over the fact that he would take these things from my children when my husband died. It was our desire for our children to have the security of growing up in a two-parent home. We wanted our kids to be shielded from the harsh realities of life when they were young. But that just wasn’t part of God’s plan for them.

I’ve just recently come to realize that I have been confusing safety with security. They are not synonymous. While my children lost the safety their father’s presence provided, they didn’t lose their security. Of course, it felt like they did. However, for those of us who love Christ, our future is eternally secure in the person of Jesus. What a valuable lesson we can teach our kids; that even when it doesn’t feel like it, their security has been paid for by the blood of Jesus on the cross.

I recently attended a parenting seminar, and our pastor mentioned that while our children need security, they don’t need safety. God never promised us safe lives. In fact, he said quite the opposite. Jesus said in John 16:33, “In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” When their dad died, my children no longer had “safe” lives, but their future will always be secure in Christ.

Sweet friends, I wish I could hold your hands in mine and look into your eyes and tell you that it will be OK. It is so hard to face an uncertain future. The nights are most difficult when our thoughts catch up with us, and as sleep escapes us, we may worry about what the future does or doesn’t hold. However, I want to squeeze your hands reassuringly and tell you that whatever God has in store for you will be OK. We can rest in whatever He has for us because His plan is perfect, even when it doesn’t feel that way.

Romans 8:28 says, “ . . . and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good.” What a promise! It doesn’t say that “we think” or “we believe.” It says, “we know.” We can know and rest in the comfort of the promise that God will work even the darkest, most heart-wrenching times in our lives for good. The same is true for our children. He will take the pain they have experienced and use it for good.

We cannot see it now, but just think of how God could use them some day to impact others. We can relate so much better to others when we have been through pain. It makes us more compassionate. We understand better what someone else has been through. Friends, God can use that in our children’s lives to be a light to others in a dark, broken world. And that is something truly beautiful. We do not know what the future holds for us or our kids, but we can be sure that he will redeem us and make “all things new” (Revelation 21:5).