I like to think of my home as a safe haven for my family. People are cared for, needs are met, and we can close the door on the world outside when the weight of it gets too heavy. I cannot help what may or may not happen to or for my family members outside the four walls of our home, but inside that home at least I attempt to make a place of retreat.
That’s not to say there are never tears or gnashing of teeth there.
There are. Whenever you mix different people with differing ideas and personalities there are going to be issues. As my kids grow older, and begin the process of making their own decisions, we sometimes struggle. Still, our home is a safe place for those who live there. It is the place where we can let it all hang out, so to speak. We may have to save face outside, but inside it is a safe place to fall.
The day my daughter found out she had not been chosen for a part in the school play, she made it all the way home on the bus, up the street, through the front door, and into her daddy’s arms before she felt safe enough to let out her sadness and tears. No one would make fun of her disappointment. There was no embarrassment at not being chosen, just murmurings of love and long hugs.
Recently, at the end of a particularly difficult workday, I drove home with great determination to get to my place of refuge. It was snowing and the roadways were becoming unsafe, but I would have driven on a sheet of ice to get home. I fell through the front door and into the waiting arms of my husband. Poor guy. He has two emotional females to manage.
While my husband and boys are a bit less emotional and weepy, they too, find love and acceptance at home when the world throws them a curveball or a bully on the playground.
I cannot imagine not having this safe haven to go to.
Yet I know there are people who do not feel that their home is safe. Rather, home is a place of judgment and fear. Children are not treasured or nurtured. Marriages are not cherished. Honesty is not appreciated, and there are no arms to comfort or shoulders to cry on. Home is a place to avoid, or run away from rather than run toward.
In either case, whether or not your home is a safe haven, one is available to all who run to it. Proverbs 18:10 states that “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” It doesn’t say that some are safe. All who trust in HIm, and run to it are safe.
Every sadness, disappointment, or abuse we have suffered at the hands of this world He understands.
The pastor of the church we attend recently shared a series of messages dealing with getting through bad days. A tag line from the series said, “He (Jesus) went through his worst day, so that you could get through yours.”
We all need open arms to run to sometimes. While it’s always nice for those arms to have skin on, we can rest in the knowledge that God’s arms are always open, and everyone who runs to Him makes it.
This Easter, I pray that you will pause and think about the sacrifice made for you.
It was personal. It was devastatingly horrible, and scripturally fulfilling. It was for me, and it was for you.
The prophet Isaiah spoke these words about Jesus long before Jesus ever graced the planet. “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)
Those words are a safe haven for us all.
How will you celebrate this Easter? How will you thank Him for being your safe haven? Fun, family, church services? Something else? Share your traditions here… some of us need some new ones!