INSECURITIES

Students, are you complete? Do you have a sense of confidence in who you are? I think insecurity is a major component of the human race. We all try to hide it in different ways, but it is there. Those nagging thoughts of: "am I ok, do I fit in, is there a purpose for my life, do I measure up, does anybody like me, does anybody love me?" Some people cover their insecurities by presenting themselves as cocky and confident. Others just hide themselves from the crowd by being quiet and unnoticed. At the root both have the same problem- insecurity. So where is security found? I mean sometimes parents with their best of intentions don't do a good job helping us answer those questions. I know as a parent I don't. Friends let us down and even add to our insecurities sometimes (keep in mind they have got issues of their own). We watch and participate in the whole "dating" scene looking for someone to tell us we are ok. It seems most of those relationships end in heartbreak and only add to our fears that something is wrong with me. I want you to do something that is difficult. Take off your religious glasses for a minute and think about the verses from Colossians at the top of the blog. It tells us that in Christ all the fullness of God dwelt bodily. The fullness (Greek- pleroma) nothing left out, complete. It goes on to say that in Christ you have been made complete or full (Greek- pleroo). So the verse says that all of God is in Christ and that if He is in you then you are complete or full. Now that has some religious implications- I don't have to try to make myself complete for God, I don't have to perform in some way to please Him. All that is taken care of in Christ. But what would it mean for you as an insecure teenager to understand and really believe that you are complete in Christ? You could quit looking to all of the things we look to for answers(friends, dates, family, parents, teachers, coaches, popularity, grades, circumstances) that all in one way or another can disappoint us and realize that in Christ you are whole. I believe that is the only answer to our insecurities. If we don't begin there we are destined to a life of frustration, trying to be filled up some other way. The question is do you know that? Do you live with the knowledge that you are in Christ and that in Him you are whole? Think about that for a little while and be honest with yourself.