In search of security

by Cathy Kerr

"Her security blanket?" I asked the young father.

"It sure is," he replied, smiling fondly at the child. "She calls it her `Ki Ki'--and we can't leave home without it."

Children often cling to a favourite blanket, toy or animal to make them feel safe. I knew one boy who slept under a pile of stuffed toys almost every night. His brother, on the other hand, kept the family dog at the foot of his bed.

Adults are no different. We may have conquered our fear of the dark, but we still need to feel secure. So we attach ourselves to jobs, material possessions, bank accounts or relationships.

All of these things, however, are not security in themselves. The little girl's "Ki Ki" could not feed her, protect her or love her. It only served to make her feel good.

In the same way, our work, possessions and relationships are only "blankets" that have been given to us by God for our happiness. But they are temporal. Jobs are lost. Houses burn. Marriages collapse. Bank accounts empty. Friends die.

Last year, I was laid off from a job I desperately needed. After working in a medical clinic for over two years, I was informed the staff was being reduced. I was devastated.

In the weeks that followed, God began to show me that He was my security, He--not my job--is my provider.

One morning, I was feeling quite discouraged. During my prayer time, I asked the Lord to assure me that He was still there.

That afternoon, I received a letter from a friend who who was aware of my circumstances. "In the spring of 1980, I also lost my job," I read. "I had worked for Safeway for 24 years, 4 months. At the age of 57, what would I do? There was my wife and myself, so life began all over again. . . . Cathy, God was in control, and things began to happen." He went on to tell me how God had provided, and concluded by saying, "Thank God for what you have, and He will supply your need."

A cheque for $100 was enclosed. An attached sticker stated: "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Have a good day!"

Parents eventually wean their children off their security blankets. They hide them, leave them at Grandma's, wash them once too often. This is not to make their offspring feel insecure, but rather to help them learn how to handle their fears in a more mature way.

Sometimes we feel that our happiness has been yanked out from under us, when in reality it may be God's way of helping us to grow spiritually. Most of us don't realize how much we lean on certain things or people until they are removed.

When I was a teenager, we often sang the song in church, "He's All I Need". I sometimes wondered if it was true. Twenty-five years and many hard knocks later, I can testify that it is. When life has been unfair, when there is no place to hide, God remains faithful. He is the only security blanket that will cover you for sure.

Cathy Kerr is from Comox, B.C. This article was originally published in The Pentecostal Testimony in September, 1992.