{More Quotes and Questions || Lent ~ Week 5}

In case you missed it, April 3, 2019 was “Safe Place Selfie Day” — #safeplaceselfieday.  I happen to know this because our son is a meteorologist and he’s passionate about helping others stay safe during crazy weather episodes.

I love his line, “It really is important to know where to go when a storm approaches…”  and it got me thinking. 

Run where? What’s your safe place?

Where do you go when you see a storm approaching?  When life begins to churn up a storm and swirls into a twister of a situation, where’s the “safe place” you run to?

With Whom?  Who are your safe people?

Who do you grab and take with you into that safe place?  Who do you hold on to for dear life?  Who will always open the door to let you in?  Who loves you no matter what but will also speak truth into your storm-tossed thoughts of doubt, disillusionment  and fear?  Who do you trust?

With What?  What provisions do you need?

Have you — like our son, Roger — stocked your safe place with provisions to sustain you until the storm passes over?  If we’re  talking emotional and spiritual provisions, what are those?  Are they the same for everyone?  

Let’s have an honest conversation here…

The reality is that sometimes you get the warning siren that a storm is fast approaching.  Sometimes you get very little warning. 

As our son would tell you, it’s important to be prepared and it seems the same is true in the whirlwinds of life. 

Huddled in a small safe place in the inner sanctuary of your own soul, what sustains you until the storm passes over?  Who do you trust to bring with you into that safe place to speak hope and life while you’re waiting?

There’s wisdom in figuring out what  items you need to stock  your “safe place” with for those turbulent times.  Have you re-stocked your shelves with healthy snacks to replace those  out-of-date, self-medicating coping products  that promised to preserve life but seem only to cause another cataclysmic disaster?

Is there some baggage you’ve been carrying around far too long that might be keeping you from getting to your safe place fast enough?  Tripping hazards? 

Are there toxic relationships you need to  let go of who keep trying to pull you back into the storm?  

Have you listened to the forecasting lies of the enemy telling you the category 5 hurricane is no big deal?

How do you know when it’s safe to come out of hiding?  Who will give the “all clear”?   And what if the “all clear” is more of a “proceed with caution?”   Who do you trust when your life is on the line?

There was threat of a storm moving through our city last Sunday.  My husband and I sat on our front porch with our great-niece and sang together in 3-part harmony, “Keep me safe, til the storm passes by.”  The atmosphere was uncertain but we were at peace.  

Truth is, Peace often arrives in the middle of the storm where, in all honesty,  we spend most of our time.  There’s always an ebb and flow of calm and storm.  Hourly.  Daily.  Weekly.  Blowing as if to announce another season, winds of change or stomach-twisting situations can appear out of nowhere …at any given time … known or unknown to us in advance.

The questions are, “Run where?” … “With whom?” … “With what?”  

I know the answer is always Jesus but He also gives us landmarks of safe places and safe people in our lives to provide life-giving sustainability through the storms.   Listen to the voice of Holy Spirit when He says, “this is the way, walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21 NIV)

There’s never a promise of life without storms but Jesus is always walking on the water to meet us.  Peace in the midst of our storm.