A Safe Place
My husband has been lovingly calling me “the butterfly whisperer” because of my many butterfly encounters this year. And after two dragonflies landed on my hand last week, my son remarked in all seriousness that there seems to be something the butterflies and dragonflies know about me, like they know that I’m safe.
The last part of what my son said has stuck with me. I mean, isn’t that what we all want, a safe place to land? A place where we can feel loved, cherished, and protected. Where, when allowed to come close, others won’t betray us. Where we can trust other people’s motives and intentions. A place where others simply enjoy spending time with us and appreciate us for who we are.
At earlier times in my life, I tried to be this for others and also tried to find this in others. But despite my best efforts, l let people down. I was let down by people too, even in those places that were designated as “safe places.” And I came to realize that there is no such place among humans, because we’re all, well, human.
That’s not to say that I don’t have good, safe relationships. I do. I have relationships where together we feel safe to be ourselves, where what is shared in confidence is kept safe, and where there is trust that we will each safely hold the other’s heart. Family and friends with whom I’ve linked arms, battled together in prayer, and journeyed through life’s storms until we reached safer ground. And I’m very thankful for that.
But I would stop short of saying that I’m their safe place or that their mine. Because that is not my place nor theirs to be. That is God’s place.
Though God intends for us to be in community with family and friends and to provide love and support to one another, He doesn’t intend for us to seek security or validation through others – that is only to be found in Him. But sometimes, because we grow accustomed to turning to those in our circles, we can start to become dependent on others to meet our needs rather than depending on God. And that’s when things get out of place.
Only God can provide all we need, and only He knows our every need. The Bible says that He knows what we have need of before we even ask (Matthew 6:8). He knows us better than we know ourselves. He always has our best interests at heart. And we can trust His heart.
God created us on purpose for a purpose, and that purpose can only be found in Him. As we’re told in Acts 17:27-28, God made us to seek Him and to reach out and find Him, though He is not far, for in Him we live and move and have our being. Everything we need is found in Him. And when we find God, we find our place.
God is our place of hope, healing, and wholeness. He is our place of salvation and strength, rest and restoration, purpose and peace. Our abiding place and our hiding place. He is our safe place.
“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.”
– Psalm 91:1-2 (NLT)
