The Radiant Face of Security

“…we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.” Hebrews 6:18-20.

I am presently teaching a Bible Study on insecurity of which most of us suffer in one way or another. My battle cry of insecurity has always been ‘I am not smart enough,’ which is why God has me teaching this study blindly. I cannot wrap my mind around this larger than life topic, and it appears that I am going to be totally dependent on God for this endeavor. It seems that just in the nick of time God shows me what security looks like. He displays it so prominently I am humbled by its presence and aware of how far I have to go.

Yesterday, I received an email from an amazing woman and friend who shared a personal story with me regarding action stemming from her compassion for a woman she met. The subject of her compassion was a young woman who journeyed through cancer at a very early age. My friend describes her encounter with the woman who lives Hebrews 6:18-20. She wrote: ‘She is tall, communicates with confidence, walks tall, holds her head up, smiles and speaks very well. She has no teeth on the left side of her mouth. However, her skin is beautiful. At the restaurant, people around us would stare at her, and I felt the critical stares. I am sure she gets this all the time...so later in the week, I asked our mutual friend of her past cancer. I was told that her cancer was a mass inside the left side of her head. She had 4 surgeries at M. D. Anderson in Houston, including chemo and radiation. She has had transplants of tissue from her legs to the inside of her mouth. There is NO PLACE to connect teeth, or re-build to the inside of her mouth. The cheek on the outside of her face looks beautiful with no scars. But the interior of her mouth has no way to attach anything. She is able to eat food on the right side, for which she is thankful. My compassion got the best of me and I sent our mutual friend to tell her I wanted to do a fundraiser to pay for additional surgery. She said this: "Oh, there is no way....and it's ok. I am so thankful that the surgeon was able to save my eye and face! I can live without teeth on one side!" So young...leads a youth worship at her home church, sings beautifully, majoring in Culinary Arts and babysits to earn spending money. So, compassion got the best of me only to learn how strong this beautiful young girl is, and how weak I was to feel pain for her for what she obviously has already overcome.’

In reading this it was as if I heard a foreign language, one for which I needed an interpreter. I had to process the depth of this woman’s security. I closed my eyes and wanted to picture the radiant smile on the face of a woman who reflects glory. I had to picture the woman who believes that she is who God says she is – the daughter of a King… a woman who has access to the inner sanctuary with Christ. She is a woman anchored in God’s opinion of her resting in the security of His approval and acceptance.

How we would have missed out on the beautiful face of security had my friend not reached out in compassion. Compassion brings blessings back to us as we become the rescued in our efforts to rescue others.

‘We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure…behind the curtain…with Jesus…’