I’m pretty sure that my son is part ninja. Almost every night at some point, he ends up in our bed. Most times, it’s a surprise to us because we don’t hear him enter our room or hear him climb into the bed. The first few times my husband and I were baffled as to how he did it. His bedroom is on the opposite side of the house so he has to make his way through the living room, kitchen and hallway to our bedroom and climb into our bed- IN THE DARK. (well except for the tv screen light.) One night, I caught him in action as he pulled himself up on the bed, crawled over me and then curled up in the middle (legs and elbows poking me the whole time!) I’m amazed at this because he’s created a little path and he knows the way, even in the dark and in his sleep.
I asked him the other day why he kept getting into our bed and he said “I was scared and I felt safe.” He knew the way to safety, to a place where he was loved. I have a clinical background in trauma and working with children from the “hard places.” A term that we talk about often is “felt safety.” It’s one thing for a child to know that they are safe: they have food, clothing, shelter, etc but an entirely different thing for them to feel safe. I saw this first hand with children who entered foster care. I worked at an emergency home and the first night and days there were rough. I would always make a point to get on their level and tell them that they had a roof over their head, food on the table, clean sheets, that someone would be here when they go to bed and when they wake up, and they were safe here. Yes, it was important that they heard it but they needed to feel it. Many times they learned to feel it by seeing it. They needed to see where they would eat, sleep, etc.
As I thought about my son’s response to my question, I realized that I’m just like him. How many times do I feel my way through the dark, trying to find my way to the safest place I can be- the arms of my Heavenly Father? So many times, I get lost. I can’t see past the circumstances that cloud my view, I get turned around because I’m listening to the wrong voices who try to give me directions, and I feel overwhelmed. There are many times when it feels like I’m walking in the dark. I keep walking the same path because I know where it leads.
Here’s the thing: I know where the path leads me or more importantly to Who. I’ve got a lamp to lead the way. (Psalm 119:105) I keep following the path to Jesus because not only do I know I’m safe but I feel safe. I know that our feelings can often lead us astray and aren’t 100% reliable, but feeling safe in the arms of Jesus is one thing that I know to be true.
I don’t know where you are today, but keep walking the path to Jesus, even if you have to walk it in the dark.