TO BE SAFE ( 4th human desire)

All of us want to be free from fears and anxieties. We all want to know that we are materially secure--that we have food, and a place to live, and that we will enjoy reasonable good health.  We want to know that we are spiritually safe--that God will keep his promises and not do something that will ultimately harm us. We also need to know that people around us will love us and that we can count on them.  When we feel safe our confidence increases, there is a sense of freedom, and even maybe a desire to take some risks.

The reason that many of us don't feel entirely safe is because our past traumatic experiences can cause us to obsess and worry about what might happen in the future.

So how might a person act who has had a history of feeling unsafe?

- One might be caught up in a frenzy and worry about the littlest things.
- Some people become control freaks, overly protective, or micromanaging.
-  They might get mad at those who don't seem to worry as much as them.
-  Some may manifest it with health issues brought upon by stress.
-  A failure to take any kind of risk, or step out in faith.

The beauty of God creating a desire for us to be safe is that he wants us to rely on Him.
Psalm 55:2 says, "Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you."

Jesus says in Matthew 6:27, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

Do you feel the safety of God's arms wrapped around you?

Do those who love and respect you feel safe around you?

The Third Desire: T0 BE BLESSED

So far we have discussed two basic desires.  The first was to be heard and understood and the second was to be affirmed.  While affirming someone encourages others for what they do, the third basic desire is: To Be Blessed.  To be blessed is to let somebody know that you love and appreciate them for just who they are.

When we don't receive affirmations, we can feel guilty about the things we do.  When we don't receive blessings, we can feel shameful about who we are.  Shame is a feeling that I am a mistake not that I just make mistakes.

Those of us that have never received a blessing from our parents or significant others in our lives can go on feeling like we will never measure up or have purpose.  Without blessing we may feel like we are not worthy of even identifying our basic desires, thus taking on a victim mentality, or constantly trying to prove ourselves.

When we feel blessed our self esteem will develop.  We will feel good about who we are and live more confidently in this truth.  God the Father blessed his Son when he was baptized.  He said, "This is my Son, whom I love, with him I am well pleased".  Let me remind us of the fact of God's unconditional love for us.  Thus God is saying to us as his sons and daughters.  "You are my kids whom I love, with whom I am well pleased".

God help us as parents and leaders to pass on those blessings to others.