Have you ever done something that you were ashamed of and then asked yourself, “Why did I DO that?!” I can think of all kinds of examples… There were times I tried to show off… Sometimes successfully, but usually not! Other times, I put someone else down, or lied, or cheated, or agreed to something I knew was wrong… Well, you get the point. Without going into too much detail, I can just say that there were plenty of times that I did things I was immediately ashamed of, and often found myself wondering, “Why?” I’ve learned that there’s a common explanation that accounts for many of these transgressions.
A lot of times, the things we do are because of insecurities. Insecurities make us want to be seen, be known, be accepted, be successful, be looked upon with admiration, etc. (excerpt from Receiving Revelation from the Foundation Stone pt.2, by Dr. Chester C. Pipkin)
Insecurity! So often, that is the culprit. Whether I find myself trying to boost my reputation broadly or improve my image with some individual or even just trying to prove something to myself, insecurity has largely been my motivation. So, what’s the cure?
Well, taking a step back, Dictionary.com defines the word “insecurity” as “lack of confidence or assurance; self-doubt.” So the clear remedy would be to address the lack and remove the doubt. Simple words that are not so easy to do! However, God, in His amazing love for us, goes directly to the root of the problem by offering full assurance of our value to Him. And He doesn’t just express it once- it is throughout the Bible!
So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27 NIV)
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. (Ephesians 1:4-5 NLT)
God knew us before we were even born and He sees us every minute of every day. We don’t have to strive to be noticed or recognized when we understand that God sees us and will meet those needs in us fully. So when we find ourselves craving attention or wanting to be seen a certain way, let's accept God’s loving assurance of how He already sees us and watch the insecurity melt away!
