What “Am I Secure?” Has Been Whispering to You

One of my favorite parts of coaching is listening.

Not because I’m looking for the right answer, but because people often reveal more than they realize in the first few minutes of a conversation.

A while back I was sitting with someone who had taken the Primal Question Assessment. We had talked about ministry, family, work, and life for nearly an hour when they looked at me and said, almost apologetically, “I don’t really worry. I’m just responsible.”

I smiled because I’ve heard that sentence more times than I can count.

In fact, I don’t know that I’ve ever had someone whose deepest question is Am I Secure? introduce themselves as a worrier. They don’t see themselves that way.

They’re planners.
They’re prepared.
They think ahead.

They’re usually the ones who remembered to bring the extra extension cord, printed the backup copies, filled the church van with gas the day before the trip, and packed an extra phone charger because, well…you never know.

The funny thing is, most of us are really glad they’re on our team.

Churches need people like this.

Families do too.

More than once I’ve found myself benefiting from someone’s careful planning while thinking, “I’m really glad they thought about that because I sure didn’t.”

That’s one of the gifts God has given them.

The challenge is that every gift has a place where it can quietly drift from serving us to carrying us.

As I’ve continued coaching, I’ve started noticing that people asking, Am I Secure? aren’t usually trying to control anyone. They’re trying to prepare for everything. Somewhere along the way, they began believing that if they could think far enough ahead, anticipate enough problems, or prepare for every possibility, then maybe they could finally relax.

The problem, of course, is that tomorrow never stops producing new things to prepare for.

There’s always another bill to pay. Another meeting to think through. Another child to worry about. Another decision to make. Another “what if” waiting just around the corner.

Without realizing it, today’s peace gets traded for tomorrow’s possibilities.

As I’ve thought about that, I’ve found myself coming back to the words of Jesus in Matthew 6.

“Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

I’ve heard those words my entire life, but they sound different after sitting with so many ministry leaders.

Jesus isn’t telling us that planning is wrong.

After all, Jesus planned. He sent disciples ahead into towns. He prepared His followers for what was coming. He intentionally invested in twelve men for three years. Wisdom plans.

But Jesus never carried tomorrow the way we often do. He was fully present where His Father had placed Him that day. Maybe that’s the invitation we’ve missed. Planning isn’t the opposite of faith. Neither is responsibility.

The question is whether we’ve slowly begun believing that our security rests on our ability to prepare instead of God’s ability to provide.

That’s a subtle shift, but it changes everything.

I’ve noticed that people whose deepest question is Am I Secure? often carry an enormous burden that no one else even knows they’re carrying. They’re thinking about next week while everyone else is enjoying today. They’re solving problems that haven’t happened yet. They’re rehearsing conversations that may never take place.

If that’s you, let me encourage you with something I’ve had to remind myself more than once.

God has never asked you to live in tomorrow. He’s asked you to trust Him today. There’s a reason Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Not next month’s bread. Not next year’s bread. Today’s. Our Father has always met His children one day at a time.

Maybe this week the question isn’t whether you’ve planned enough.

Maybe the better question is this:

Have I been carrying tomorrow so tightly that I’ve forgotten God has already promised to meet me today?

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