Peace Out, Insecurity.

Two of my dearly beloveds and I are going through Beth Moore's book "So Long, Insecurity" each Monday night. Reading the book and answering the questions on Beth's blog has given us a lot to think and talk about. I'm starting to notice more and more not only how my insecurities affect and shape my thought patterns, but about how this epidemic has infected America.

I see it at the pool, when I hear men bragging about the DUIs they've gotten away with, the girls talking about how much unseen weight they've gained that week and the people who are obsessed with making others look less than themselves by acting immature.

I see it in people who crave attention so much that they force other people to give it to them by their selfish or demanding behavior, instead of waiting for others to love on them.

I see it in the soccer players and basketball stars who come for athletic camps, pushing, jostling in the cafeteria, desperately wanting to be liked and accepted - not just for how they perform on the field or the court, but for who they ARE.

I see it in those who close their eyes to Truth, who won't let others speak to them about it, who are both miserable with their lives but refuse to let God do anything to change them or their situation.

I see it in the people who are constantly sure that someone is talking about them behind their back. I think of the quote my mom shared with me years ago - "If you knew how little people talk about you, you wouldn't worry what they say". Humbling, but true - and something I long to share with these people that I encounter.

I hear it in the voices of the students who call me at work, preparing to come for their freshman year. I hear it in their parents, who want to be able to stay cool in the middle of preparing to send their most precious possession into the world. I want to tell them - and sometimes do - that they are going to love it, that God is going to change them in the next four years, that there are people here who will invest in them in ways that they can't even imagine.

Lately in the mornings on the way to work, I have been praying for these people as they come to mind - so that their insecurity won't be anything that will keep them back from seeing and serving Him. I am more patient through the day, seeing through the bravado that people display a little bit, hurting for them a little more. I'm praying that He continues to reveal both the insecurities in me and equips me to meet the needs of others in this area.