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Introduction

There are three types of people: people who have no clue that insecurities exist, people who assume insecurities are “someone else’s” problem, and people who know they have insecurities but sometimes don’t know how to fight them. The reality is: insecurities do exist, and everyone has them. Not everyone has the same insecurities, except one that we all share and fight against. The purpose of this book is to reveal that specific insecurity and learn what it takes to fight it.

The insecurity we all share is the insecurity of greatness, and is defined by this statement: I feel like I have to be the greatest in order to be loved, appreciated, or accepted by God and people.

How do you know if you have this insecurity? This feeling is a close companion to anyone who has even an inkling of a desire for appreciation from others, and/or for people to want what they contribute to this society (their job, at home, school, and community) to be worthy of some, even a little, acknowledgment. This feeling is common to any Christian who has ever asked or thought to ask God, “What else do you require of me?”

White Stars with Glimmers of Blue is a title that God moved to my heart, and it has taken up permanent residence there. I estimate that this very same title has required me to add a couple more bedrooms and barns to house all the epiphanies that came to me from writing this book. The title is the tool that God has used, in me, as the revealer of this one particular insecurity. But for the joy of Him in all the earth, I am eager to unveil it to others.

WHO IS THIS BOOK FOR?

This book is for all three types of people: those who do not know that insecurities exist, those who know what insecurities are but link it to “everyone else’s” problem, and for those who have seen insecurities in their life and want a practical solution to fight them.

For those who know that insecurities exist and have been anxiously awaiting a solution to fight them, I have a special, special place for you in my heart. My life has been so chock-full of insecurities, and they are frustrating and painful. For this reason, I know this message will especially excite you, because the solution to this particular insecurity will yield hope for you to treasure Christ in midst of and in spite of the many other insecurities you may have.

To those who are convinced that “everyone else” has insecurities but you, I challenge you to not let the day pass continuing to think that way. My hope is to come alongside you and help you gauge your heart and direct you to the barriers that keep you from confronting the truth about insecurities. There are enlightening and eye-opening statements that will help you see Jesus as wonderfully beautiful, and you would certainly miss out on this resounding prize if you were to put this book down.

To those who do not know what insecurities are, then there should be much joy in your heart, because there is a discovery in your life story that is waiting to be unraveled. If your story has as much importance to you as I think it does, the message in this book will undoubtedly interest you. I also tell you this: please don’t fret that you do not know much about insecurities. This book reveals the insecurity that most of us “professed insecure people” do not consider. Therefore, we are all on the same playing field.

As a staff member of Campus Crusade for Christ (CRU), I have worked alongside colleagues and mentored college students long enough to know that this is an important issue. Christians and non-Christians alike deal with this insecurity of greatness. By the grace God granted to me, I have a growing awareness of the necessity of this topic, and I pray that same grace may be granted to you also.

As I tried to find out what people were reading in regard to insecurities, I found no books that have addressed the necessary component in the fight against insecurities. White Stars with Glimmers of Blue does this by aiming at this one insecurity.

If you were in battle, would you compose a battle strategy to take out the ground troops if there was a turret gun picking off your men one by one, from behind? If you would do that, I suggest that you not play the game, Call of Duty, with the college students I mentor. You probably would not last a day with them. It’s a no brainer, right? You will summon up the best men you have, and devise a plan to take out the turret gun.

Likewise, instead of methodically chipping away at the pervasive insecurities, only to leave us groggy for more help, we will aim here to reveal the hidden insecurity that causes the most damage.

There is one major book that deals with the topic of insecurities, which has received much attention in Christian communities around the world. That book is entitled So long Insecurities by Beth Moore. Several women have told me that this book is beneficial and thought provoking. However, Moore’s book, like many others, is only geared toward woman. There is no doubt a need for a woman’s voice in the battle of insecurities; however, White Stars with Glimmers of Blue challenges both men and women to walk into a fight that will become a battle we fight together.

I was stunned to find out that the number of books on this topic is almost nonexistent. My hypothesis regarding this travesty is simple: people today are not admitting insecurities—and if no one is admitting them, then there is no need to read about them, and if there is no need to read about them, authors and publishers alike do not do much to make such content available. Not me. I am willing to hang in there while the crowd is thinning out, because I believe insecurities are so much more threatening and troublesome than we can imagine. In this book, I will explain why insecurities are hard to admit.

Another reason some Christians are not interested in reading books about insecurities is because the topic does not seem to be an essential topic of the gospel. I want to challenge this thinking, and say that most of how we see the love of Jesus manifested in our daily lives is rooted in our insecurity. This insecurity has manipulated our view of how we see Jesus. So, consequently, we slowly move further and further away from believing one of the simplest parts of the gospel: Jesus is the greatest.

WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO

This book is predominantly expository more than speculative. I want you to know that, at my current stage of life, I am not a theologian, Bible scholar, or a pastor. In the matter of dealing with insecurities, I am imperfect. I am a twenty-six-year-old, ordinary missionary with a mission that seems extraordinary: helping our world fight insecurities in a Christ-saturated and Christ-exalting way. There are many man-made discoveries and philosophies in life. If you feel that this is another, let it pass. There is only one foundation, only one rock that all men should stand upon: the Word of God. Only one thing matters: glorifying God in the way He appointed.

I have held off on publishing this book for months, to see if what I conclude is really true, and if the solution is beneficial. By the grace of God, I have already seen God do tremendous things in my life since I have begun to apply the message in this book to my own life. So if you do not think this book is for you, I still argue that it is certainly for me. But I am very hopeful for many of you as well, as I have prayed many nights for you. Now, there is an insecurity to be revealed, and there is a battle to be won. Let’s start training.