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My Refuge

Do you have a "safe place" in your life? We all need one. The other day I was thinking about some of the safe places or refuges I've had over the years. Some of them were physical, some psychological.

When I was a child, my mother was my refuge. It didn't matter much where we were, when I was with her, I felt secure. I have vivid 50-year-old memories of a couple of occasions when I became separated from her in crowded stores. I was terrified. When we were reunited, all was well.

As I grew older, I developed other refuges. My parents raised me on a 180 acre farm. There were many spots on the property that were suitable for building what we called "forts." My younger brother and I would spend hours in the woods or in the barn constructing little private spaces where we could go to get away from everybody else. We usually shared these with each other, because it was so much more fun to have these places in common. Sometimes we would string phone wire between two so we could have the best of both worlds - privacy and connection at the same time.

In my teen years, my car was my refuge. It was about the only place that I could truly call my own. I could personalize this space in ways that my parents would have let me do inside the house. Back then, fuel was cheap so just "driving around" alone or with friends gave me a safe place to be when I was avoiding helping dad on the farm, school work, or annoying people.

When I went to university, I couldn't afford to keep the car and sold it to my old Sunday School teacher who painted over the racing stripes I had put on the sides. During this time, I lived in couple of houses, both of them owned by elderly ladies who rented out rooms to students to supplement their pensions. It was during this time that I began to see "home" as my refuge. These were places to which I could retire and escape the pressures of social interaction. Or, to which I could invite a friend or two for focussed conversation.

For some, home is the last place they feel safe. For them, a workshop, garden, barn, park, or even their workplace serves as a refuge from the chaos of home life. My purpose here is not to evaluate these kinds of refuges and assess their benefits. They all fulfill their role according to the people who need them.

I am also aware that some people live in situations in which they have no functional refuge. There is no "safe place" for them. It may be due to circumstances from war to family discord. It may even be due to the chaos that rules their minds - obsessive thoughts battering their brains until they feel they are going to explode. A quiet place just allows the tension to build without the soothing balm of distraction.

One of the most afflicted men you'll ever meet can be found in the Bible. David was emotionally fragile, impulsive and driven. He lost his best friend in battle, was betrayed by a son, and pursued by enemies on several occasions - sometimes for months at a time. He was forced to run from hiding place to hiding place, seeking a safe place. He had to confront powerful opponents when the odds seemed stacked against him. He made horrific mistakes and betrayed one of his own best friends and loyal supporters. He was certainly melancholy and suffered from depression from time to time. He could be your next-door neighbour. He could be you.

But David made it to the end of his long life because, regardless of his circumstances he had a refuge which no one could see, no one could breach, no one could even threaten. David's refuge was God, Himself. Over and over in the Psalms, in particular, David claims the Lord as a refuge for the oppressed, the saving refuge of His anointed, our refuge and strength, a refuge in the day of my trouble, and more.

When I consider my own struggles and frustrations, which while pale in comparison with David's, stretch me to the breaking point sometimes, I am drawn to flee to David's refuge - the place of safety which is not a place but a person. There is no situation in which I might find myself which is too far away to keep me from running to this refuge. Jesus invites us to link up with Him, to learn from Him, to be embraced by his gentle humble heart and to find rest for our souls. Matthew 11:29

Ron Hughes
© May 2007