Come Out of Hiding

I recently read this caricature of a people-pleaser: "She assumes whatever strong personalities she meets up with. She is a chameleon. She changes color, accent, shape, as the world about her changes. She has no ideas or opinions of her own; she simply conforms. She wants only to be safe, to fit in, to be accepted, to be liked."

As I read this caricature, I recognized myself in it. Particularly the need to feel safe. I believe the desire to feel safe is God-given. God desires that we find our security in Him. He promises to be our Refuge. For most of us, we do seek our security in Christ until it is threatened. The moment we feel insecure, we choose to self-protect. Self- protection manifests itself in a variety of ways such as sarcasm, an obsession with maintaining a glittering external image at all costs, or, even the subtle ways, we avoid direct communication in relationships and instead hedge, waffle, procrastinate, or remain silent out of fear of rejection. Does this sound familiar?

In my life, the more I receive God's unconditional love for me, the more able I am to trust Jesus, allowing Him to remove the shroud of perfectionist performance that I often hide behind when I feel insecure.

It is important for each of us to know how we manifest our insecurity and how we feel when we are safe, secure in Christ's love for us. We want to move toward security in Christ, choosing to live out of this Reality daily.

For me, when I am secure in Christ, I believe in my heart that God likes and accepts me completely as I am. When I feel safe, I don't have to hide or distract myself with books, music, ice cream or working out. I am comfortable with His light shinning into my darkest places. I can live in the present moment, not escaping into the past or projecting into the future. When I am secure in Christ, I am at peace, not nervous or jittery. I do not need to impress or dazzle others to feel accepted. I do not seek attention from others in order to boost my self-esteem. I am calm, unafraid, not anxious about what happens next or how others perceive me.

My own journey has taught me that only when I am secure with God do I feel safe in my own skin. God created us to desire a security that only He can fill.