As I was writing the previous blog on the safe place the tension was mounting around the Ukraine crisis, and it seemed so ‘present’ in the very room, and almost stupid to be talking of safety in the midst of such fear, and as it has progressed such devastation and utter lack of humanity, and yet there is always the other side when people respond with love and compassion to a crisis that seems impossible to overcome.
Feeling safe begins in yourself being contained and grounded living life in a balanced way. We will look more at these words and what they mean as we progress through this blog. However, it is essential, in order to feel safe, to have sound leadership, and professional operating institutions run by trustworthy people, and honest leaders.
If we are being generous we can see that we do not have this, and it is difficult to expect it as all humanity is in crisis traumatized, and regressed no one has escaped the terror of the past two years, which now include increasing fears of ‘global warming’ and more wars. It seems that monsters are everywhere in every stratum of society, and it would be easy to lose hope.
So much of the bible tells not just of the rotten deeds of the ungodly, but of forgiveness, hope, and safety. There are too many to list in this blog, but let’s embrace groundedness and hope and tease out what these words might mean for us. In Psalm 18 verse two we read:-
The Lord is my rock and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my strength, in whom I will trust, my buckler and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower, written by David when God rescued him from the hand of Saul David responds to God for his goodness I love you oh God you are my strength. In Proverbs 18:10 we read the name of the Lord is a strong tower the righteous run into it and are safe.
This leads us to the notion of ‘groundedness’, a friend challenged me to describe this word to the ‘man in the street’ not assume that it is immediately understood. It has been central to my thinking throughout the pandemic, as we have all been shifted about like ships without rudders, and rather like ‘ the Duke York’s ten thousand men we are neither up nor down, leadership has been confusing and at times rather crazy almost as if we were holding on to straws whilst trying to climb the side of sheer cliffs, and of course falling back and being smashed on the rocks below.
Meditating requires the practice of being grounded in faith and ‘what gives life meaning for you. It requires centering oneself in a belief and faith which holds, grounds, and contains us, our beliefs give us a position that. allows us to stand firm and trust. Grounded means many things but first, it means centered steady, and able to hold a position of safety, even when we are not safe. If you like, it is about having a theory, or consciousness behind, and within your way of living that gives you meaning and purpose and hope not continual despair. It is steady, holding, containing, not restrictive, our removing your freedoms.
In the last few weeks, it has been hard to go into ‘a safe place’ within oneself’ as all over the world fear is ranked up yet again, and many foul acts and unbelievable things have happened. The notion of the earth being ground that one stands on has been ripped away, and we seek desperately to find help from a source outside ourselves.
The Christian finds this support in God, his promises, and instructions for living, They provide sound guidance, and an invitation to run in and be enveloped in his safety, He is that strong tower unmoving, unchanging omnipresent.
As you seek to quiet yourself and contain your stress find a safe place in your home or another area where you can meditate, and take these verses as your mantra
THE NAME OF THE LORD IS A STRONG TOWER THE RIGHTEOUS RUN INTO IT AND ARE SAFE. PROVERBS 18:10
EXPAND YOUR THINKING STAND ON THE ROCK PSALM 18:2
The dark side of humanity ‘the shadow’ is loose and is having a ball. If we look at the world we could not be blamed for the terror we feel or for the horrendous savage behavior of some people who could scarcely be called human, but let us look at what happens when we ground ourselves in a sound framework for behavior and living.
The Christian has the example of Christ as a framework and consciousness for living, and it seems to me that we need to reflect on this and immerse ourselves within in,as this teaching has the power to support the individual, and the teaching on how to help others. In the midst of the circumstances, it’s good to bring to mind who Christ is, and what he offers in terms of safety in this situation.
The Bible lists approximately 198 names for Jesus, and I want to, for the purposes of this conversation, call to mind those that immediately relate to safety, and grounding for the self, and also to safety behavior in relation to others.
aoibheann thoughtful reflections 