Security Blankets

By Richard Weidner, Legacy Kingdom Fund, TriVenture Partner

Having 4 children, 15 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren, I’m familiar with the part that a security blanket has in providing a child with a feeling of security. Be it a real blanket, such as Linus’ in “Peanuts,” a stuffed animal, or something else tangible that they can cling to, it provides them with something non-threatening to clutch and hold on to. As parents, there comes a time when we need to have our children relinquish their security blankets as they grow up. What parent wants to send his child to Kindergarten dragging a ragged old blanket?
As adults, we also have that innate need for a sense of security in our lives. It’s part of how God made us as His children. The Bible is replete with promises of care, protection and provision for those He calls His own; they are our present and eternal security blanket. Yet, like Linus, we too often reach for the tangibles in our lives that we can see and touch. It could be family, relationships, money, career or dozens of other things. We find our comfort in the familiar, the tangible and the definable, that with which we are familiar and trust. Straying outside this comfort zone produces anxiety and stress. In response, we reach for a security blanket. We shy away from taking a risk. We could fail, be criticized, lose some of our money, or tarnish our reputations.

In his book, Who Switched the Price Tags? Tony Campolo says it better than I ever could:
“It is true that there are great possibilities for failure (when taking risks), and if you fail, there will be those who will mock you. But mockers are not important. Those who like to point when risk-takers stumble don’t count. The criticisms of those who sit back, observe and offer smug suggestions can be discounted. The Promised Land belongs to the person who takes the risks, whose face is marred with dust and sweat, and who strives valiantly while daring everything, who may err and fail, but who has done his, or her, best. This person’s place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat. Oh, if only I could persuade timid souls I meet to listen to that inner voice of the Spirit, which challenges us to “attempt great things for God, and to expect great things from God.” Oh, if only I could inspire them to heed that inner urging that tells them, “Go for it.” I cannot say what a person should do with their life, but I can say what a person should not do with it. No one should devote one’s life to safety, to a course of action that offers no challenge and no fun.”

Many, if not most, of you who receive this have shed the security blanket in your lives and are experiencing the thrill and, yes, the fun, of attempting great things for God. Oh, that, like the corona virus, we would infect those in our life circles to find their real security in God and His promises and be willing to let go of their earthly security blankets, whatever they may be.

In the flyleaf of all my Bibles, I have this quote, “Only one life, Will soon be past; Only what’s done for Christ will last.” May that be engraved on all our hearts and foremost in all our minds. Our days are numbered.

If you would like information on how you can become involved in missional business opportunities, please contact me at: dweidner@legacyventuresnetwork.com