Security Blanket

by Jennie Smith
Secondary Assistant Principal

We've all been there....it's bedtime.  We are exhausted and the kids are grumpy.  We can't wait to tuck them in and have a little peace and quiet.  And then the unthinkable...you can't find Blankie! For my Caleb, he HAD to have Wally and Sienna - his two stuffed Labradors.  If there was no Wally or no Sienna, there was no sleep.  That child's bed was half full with nearly thirty other stuffed animals, but he had to be cuddling with Wally AND Sienna to fall into a peaceful sleep.  I remember the nights of searching and pleading and crying, and I'm sure you have had them too.

It seems most kids grow away from the security blanket phase of life.  Is that true or do we just replace our stuffed toy with something more grown up?  We may not need to snuggle with a soft, yellow, furry something-or-other to get to sleep.  However, we do hold onto things and people that give us the security we think we need.  I've recently been convicted of this very thing - why am I not 100%, solely, completely, desperately dependent on God?  Why isn't God enough?  God has even gone far enough in me to take away those security items so that I would lift my eyes to Him and realize that my security must rest in Him alone.

I would challenge you to consider what may be standing between you and your utter dependence on God.  Some people find security in their relationship with their spouse.  Others may find that a beloved grandparent or friend is the one that constantly comforts them when times get tough.  Some of us may find that our security blanket is a sin, even an addiction, that we depend on to give us what we think we need.  But God calls us, beckons us, to find our rest in Him.  Isaiah 41:13 says "For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, 'Do not fear; I will help you.'"  He is the only place where true peace is found.  Everything else provides us just a temporary fix.

My favorite image of the Lord as my security blanket comes from Deuteronomy 33:12.  "Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders."  Resting between the shoulders of the almighty God....that's where I want to be!

May we be like the psalmist who says:

"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge" (Psalm 62:5-8).