Safe in Love
There is such comfort in feeling safe.
It is a calm assurance that, no matter what, everything will be OK.
This zone of comfort is not a natural state for some of us.
In our formative years, some of us did not feel safe or stable. Those charged to care for us hurt, rejected, or abandoned us.
Because of this trauma, we instinctively started trying to protect ourselves. We were always on alert, continuously scanning the environment for evidence of attack or aggression.
We were in a perpetual state of fight or flight, filled with worry and fear that, at any moment, everything would all come crashing down.
This ongoing stress formed a pattern within us to look at the world through fearful, distrustful eyes to find (or create) evidence that our world was unsafe.
Somehow, we felt better when we uncovered the proof (real or made up), as it validated our habitual instinct to run or hide.
Years later, we still find ourselves seeking wrongdoing or making up stories to justify this way of being.
Rejection is imminent if we make mistakes or receive negative or constructive feedback. We should shrink down or leave to be safe.
If we disappoint a friend, abandonment is inevitable. We should do whatever they want or avoid them to be safe.
They don't really care about us, so we might as well leave and find safer ground.
It doesn't take much to engage our well-worn traumatic flight or fight response.
The truth is, my fellow worn traveler, what once helped us survive is now only hurting us.
It's time for some rewiring, don't you agree?
Let's try this new pattern of thinking.
Wrapped in God's love, we are secure. Nestled in His protection, we know we are safe and sound.
We are profoundly loved exactly as we are. God envelops us in His love for safekeeping.
What happens around us is happening but cannot infiltrate our safe shield of God's love. We are safe.
We can hear opinions and feedback, but they do not wound us. With God at our side. we are safe.
They are not going to hurt us. They love us. They care about us. We are safe.
Everything is okay. We are okay. We are loved. We are safe.
Let's repeat it again and again until we see it and believe it!
God loves you, and so do I!
Psalms 16:1
Keep me safe, my God, for in you I take refuge.
1 Corinthians 13: 4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Psalms 27:5
For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.