I have been reading this book by Beth Moore called So Long Insecurity.  It's one of those books that I'm pretty sure Jesus inspired her to write for my benefit alone. I have learned so much about myself and my insecurity issues... I'm not gonna talk about them here, but believe me I carry lots of them around.  Hopefully it'll become less of a struggle in my life as light has been shed on the truth through this book.  I really love to read so maybe it doesn't mean much when I talk about how quickly I read a book or how many times I've read it, but seriously, it's one of those books I'd buy 20 copies of and hand them out to friends. 

Here's a couple of my favorite passages...

"The truth is, God uses change to change us.  He doesn't use it to destroy us or to distract us but to coax us to the next level of character, experience, compassion, and destiny.  I hate to display such a firm grasp of the obvious, but how will we ever change if everything around us stays the same? Or what will ever cause us to move on to the next place He has for us if something doesn't happen to change the way we feel about where we are? God is thoroughly commited to finishing the masterpiece He started in us (Phil. 1:6), and that process means one major thing: change."

"God Himself formed human emotions.  He knkows how easily the heart can be broken.  The mind can be marred.  He knows life hurts...because people hurt...and then hurt people.  He also knows the resilience with which He made us and the innate capacity within each one of us to be restored. Remade.  He knows we are capable of loving even when we feel unloved because He loves us enough to cover those who don't.  He knows we are not nearly as fragile as we think we are, but we will act like who we believe ourselves to be.  He know we have the capacity to be astoundingly extraordinary, and not just in spite of where we've been, but because of it.
God know we're insecure.  But we do not need to be. And He will not leave well enough alone.  He has enough security for both of us, and for those of us who call Christ Savior, He slipped His own secure Spirit within our simple jars of clay.  It is in you to be secure, dear one.  Do you hear what I'm saying to you? You have it in you."


Those are long quotes, but they contain such good simple truth.  The first quote especially is encouraging because of the immense amount of changes barreling toward my life in the next couple weeks.  There's nothing like a big change to make me question my faith- can I really hear God?- question my motives, question whether following what Jesus says is really worth it.  But I am encouraged to know that God uses change, not to punish but to pursue.  He didn't call me to move to Orlando so that I could be uncomfortable for a few years.  He's calling me there because He wants me to grow.  He wants to speak to me and prune me and challenge me.  And I do want to grow and learn to trust the Lord.  So I have to tell the tiny little questions, fears and doubts running around my head to be silent because change will change me for the better. My insecurities should not be able to steal the joy of the adventure of life with Jesus.  This book has shown me how often it has before, and I'm excited to step forward into a new stage of life equipped with the self awareness I've gained from this book.  Jesus and I are on the road to dealing with insecurity in my life because that's not how we were created to live. 

James 1:16-15, NLT
"Don't be mislead, my dear brothers and sisters.  Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.  He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.  He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word.  And we, our of all creation, became his prized possession."