Do you have a safe space?
Please read this quietly and slowly: Across colleges and various educational institutions, there have been and continues to be support, controversy and opposition to the idea of safe spaces.
On one side, supporters say they need a time out, or a tangible break from what they perceive as the intangible drain of life. Opponents see a weak populace who refuse to grow up or are too easily offended: Hence the derogatory term, 鈥渟nowflake.鈥�
Whether one agrees or not with either sentiment, can we all be honest and admit, that at some point, life does wear us down, and it would be nice, if not necessary, to stop everything, and find a safe space. Throughout history, different people have found their place of solace, comfort and retreat through a variety of methods, things and others. Some find comfort in a bottle, or pills, or food or a mental escape mechanism.
What safe space do you retreat to? What regrouping of your self has been offered to you?
I would recommend a safe space offer that was made to all of us. Psalm 91:1 says, 鈥淲hoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:2 says, 鈥淚 will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.鈥� Quite a promise of hope and help, 鈥渨hoever.鈥� No exclusions.
Where do you go when heartache and tragedy strike? Where is that place that you find a source of strength, hope and encouragement when the lowest point of your life hits? What happens when your life becomes a wounded crawl from the hits that keep coming? When the never-ending family drama keeps unfolding and each day yields itself to more trouble and the inevitable draining of your soul?
Too many people look for a source of spiritual resupply from things that are malnourishing 鈥� things that are junk food for our soul and don鈥檛 really give us the spiritual benefits needed to keep us whole and healthier. But God has offered us a safe space with a promise to anyone that they can find and have rest 鈥� a place of peace in knowing that with God we can go to a spiritual shelter, refuge, fortress, 鈥渁 safe space,鈥� because God can be trusted.
Consider Matthew 11:28: 鈥淐ome to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.鈥� 鈥淎ll you who are weary鈥� is again inclusive. Weary and burdened is the condition you are in, and the promise is to give you rest. Wow! But the caveat is that you must go to Christ. 鈥淐ome to me.鈥� And that is where the rubber hits the road.
We must go to God in Christ Jesus to find the ultimate spiritual safe space, the place of renewal. God should not be the place of last resort when all else fails. He should be our continuing first place as we live our lives in a soul emptying world. The connection is that you go to him. How many suicides, abuse cases and addictions could have been and would be prevented if Christ was offered?
I would also propose that 鈥渁ll you鈥� would additionally mean families, groups and countries. When a calamity assaults a nation, whether it鈥檚 a bombing, mass murder by a mad gunman or natural disaster, we should be seeking, and recommending, God to all. Be reminded that when Christ said, 鈥淐ome to me,鈥� that鈥檚 an invitation, it鈥檚 an offer for us to take advantage of. And there were and are no qualifiers or prerequisites.
There is nothing wrong with asking or admitting we need some help, as individuals, families, businesses or countries. And the greatest valley is the Shadow of Death that God wants us to come to him about.
There are many scriptures that I could place here, but instead I鈥檒l go with the partial lyrics of a Gospel song that is scripturally based:
鈥淲here could I go, oh, where could I go? Seeking a refuge for my soul. Needing a friend to help me in the end. Where could I go but to the Lord?鈥�
Tracey Gardone can be reached at www.traceygardone.com