safe.

When you think of safety, is there someone that comes to mind or something or somewhere that makes you feel safe?

When I think of safety, I think of Jesus. I think of a God, a Father who’s intentions are to keep you within the safety of His arms at all times. When you fully encounter the Lord and know what it feels like to be held in his arms, you never want to leave. When you know of and experience His great intentional and life-changing love, nothing else can satisfy you and your every need.

I feel like all my life I have known of the safety that God our Father offers, however I have strayed away by the idea that relationships offer safety. This thought isn’t to far off the grind though, because there is A Relationship that offers safety. God.

Our Father in heaven is the only one who can provide the safety and security that we need. If we choose to try and find such safety outside of His loving embrace then we will simply become lost in a cycle of unknown-ness.

“The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. he renews my strength. he guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. you prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. my cup overflows with blessings. surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the lord forever.”

Psalm 23

This scripture is such a great reminder that no matter what season your walking through the lord is with you. I feel such peace and comfort knowing the lord is there always; guiding me along peaceful streams and renewing my strength so that I may be strong enough to maneuver life challenges. I also find myself repeating “even as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, you are on my side”. When it feels as if there is no emergency exit and the storm ahead looks daunting I know that I am not alone and I will be able to walk through the storm with only a few scratches.

Believe it or not but I have a few testimonies on the safety and love of God that id like to impart to you in this blog.

There was one time when I was out exploring on the farm here at ekballo and I decided to go hiking to the mango trees which is a hike I had only done once with the whole ekballo school. However thanks to my sharp landscape memory and a random stick with an empty soda can on it to mark a crucial turning point in the path I was able to make it to the tree with no problems. I climbed onto the lowest branch and set up my rain cover over my bag and tied it to the tree so it wouldn’t fall off during my tree climbing adventure. I spent an hour adventuring before deciding I should start descending and heading back.

The tree was wet from some recent rain but I had complete confidence in my ability to climb and descend this tree. As I was descending this tree I slipped and was hanging about 7-8 feet above uneven ground by one arm. At this point all I felt was sheer panic and knew I had to let go and try and land on my feet while I still had even just a sliver of control in this situation. I swung myself at an angle to what looked like even-is ground and let go. I landed on my feet but due to the height of the fall my knee and ankle buckled under the weight of the fall and immediately all I felt was adrenaline pumping and pain.

After trying to collect myself for a few moment I heard the lord tell me “your okay, I’m here” with those words I proceeded to collect myself and stand up. I made it back very slowly and each step I took I found myself whispering “your okay, your okay”. In this moment the lords safety and protection was more literal than spiritual, but His words provided the feeling of being safe. I still feel that this is such a great example to share how God has come into a moment where something could’ve happened, but didn’t.

Another testimony of when I experienced the feeling safe in the lords arms was when I was struggling with my heart. I was feeling a lot of inner turmoil and restlessness and didn’t know why. I felt so much heaviness and my emotions were going every which way. I had a mentor at the time tell me that while I’m praying or spending my quiet time with the lord to allow Him to just pick me up and to cuddle up close to the safety of his grasp and to listen very closely to the sound of his “heartbeat”. In other words to just return to that safe place where I can feel the love of the Father and am not being distracted by any of my emotions and heaviness. Ever since that season I have remembered that piece of advice and find myself getting up and close to the lord and to his warm, loving embrace whenever I start to become overwhelmed by the sounds and stimulus of the world around me.

Both of these testimonies are such great examples of how the lords love and safety change your life. No thing and no one will ever be able to provide the safety and Love that the father has to give you. And if you have yet to experience that in your life then id love to invite you on this journey with me.

The lord has invitation with your name on it, and this invitation does not have an expiration date. He loves each and everyone of us beyond our comprehension, and id love to be able to walk through more of what that looks like with you if you are curious.