What does our safety depend upon? Does it require being in a particular place, with trusted people or the right set of circumstances? Many believe so, assuming that only perfect material conditions can ensure safety. But let’s consider a powerful alternate view, one that’s been tested over the centuries—safety as a state of consciousness, an understanding of God’s presence right where we are.
To show how this approach can be helpful even in really tough circumstances, I’ll share an experience I had as a university student where I found myself in a threatening situation, and what bolstered my trust in God during this time. On a Saturday afternoon I was studying in the downtown university library, and at the end of the day I decided to put my books in my locker in a part of the building that was shut down for the weekend. Although I would have to travel down two floors of dark hallways, I knew there was a small window in the basement women’s locker room that would provide enough light to find and open my locker.
Walking through the unlit hallways to this cellar room, I assumed I was alone, but just as I closed my locker, I suddenly knew this was not the case. I began to tremble with fear, sensing that I was in danger because I had allowed myself to be in a dark, deserted place alone with an intruder.
