We were out for dinner, sitting about 3 tables from the front doors of the restaurant, when the blast went off.  The windows rattled and we felt the floor shake as diners and workers responded with immediate silence. It’s the pause that comes when you realize you’re in the midst of a crisis.

In a crisis, response can mean the difference between life and death. Our children were beyond sippy cups, but not yet doing long division. My eyes met Jeff’s as we considered our options. Dive under the table? Run out the back exit? Separate to assess the situation? We opted to abandon our meals and run for the car, where we could see smoke wafting from the lot across the street = far enough to make us feel better. We couldn’t see anyone injured or exactly what was happening. I just wanted to get home and feel safe. We drove home immediately to where we pulled the iron gates behind us and ran into the house surrounded by walls holding shards of threatening glass pieces. We bolted our doors and went inside to wait … and breathe. Just weeks before, a military coup had sent helicopters flying within sight of our windows, and we held our breath to wonder if the two were connected.

Back in the United States a month later, my mom gently told me that I needed to relax. She said I was always “on alert.”  It was so hard to feel safe after living on edge. She was right, because once you realize you live in an unsafe world, your world is never the same. In much of the world, in places like Syria and Afghanistan, women know what it’s like for uncertainty to be “normal.” Most people in the United States haven’t ever experienced that sense of insecurity, but it’s becoming more familiar due to horrific events like the Newtown shooting and the Boston bombing.  Can you feel safe when the world is a dangerous place?

Having lived with the need to be “on alert,” I have learned some keys to being and feeling safe.

How can you be safe in a dangerous world?

1. Don’t worry about your stuff. Things just don’t matter; people do.  Matthew 6:19-20
2. Travel light as a regular habit.  Matthew 6:7-8
3. Act quickly in a crisis, but think first.   James 1:5
4. Learn to be aware of your exits at all times.    1 Corinthians 10:13
5. Stay together despite the urge to separate.    Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
6. Be calm for the sake of others, especially your children.   Matthew 19:13-15
7. Have a meeting place at home & special events.   Psalm 127:1
8. When trouble hits, DO. NOT. ARGUE.  Kids or adults.   1 Corinthians 13:4-7
9. Talk about what happened later; fight the urge to be silent.   Psalm 38:8-10
10. Put yourself in God’s hands; He is good & strong & constant.   Psalm 46:1

I’ve found this Psalm gives me great comfort & confidence; I hope it blesses you too.

He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.

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