Although I have had moments of feeling anxious or at risk, for most of my life I have felt safe.  I have not been exposed to weeks, months, or years of feeling unsafe.  I have been witness to those who have been in long-term environments where safety was an issue and for most, it has been their faith that gets them through each day.

I have inadvertently put myself in situations where I should have felt unsafe, but prayers and my faith provided a feeling or sense that someone had my back.  I did not go into these situations testing my faith, but my faith certainly has carried me through any risky circumstances in my life thus far. 

In high school, I went on every international trip available to me.  As students, we were always told to stay in groups of two or more.  During one of the trips, I was with a group of people one minute and the next I found myself following a friend that was exiting the room alone.  At the time I didn’t really think about the consequences of following my friend, I just instinctively knew not to let someone leave alone. 

It turns out that my friend got into a car with two Spanish-speaking young men, and I went also.  The young men spoke too quickly for us to understand what they were saying.  My friend was petrified. I was calming her down but knew that we were not in a good position.  I silently prayed, continuously, that we would be safely returned. 

The car ride was scary, and I do remember some fleeting thoughts regarding how dumb we were to have entered the car.  As I was praying, I also remembered many thoughts regarding how we might get ourselves out of this situation. 

As I recall, we ended up repeatedly asking them to go back.  I am not sure about all the details, but I know that after what seemed like a very long car ride, the young men ended up taking us back to our original location, thank you, God!  We were also blessed in that no one noticed we were gone, so neither of us was reprimanded or sent home from the trip early!

Another friend and I took a trip to NYC when we were 18 years old.  We stayed with extended family in an apartment one street down from Harlem.  We loved touring and being in NYC.  As we were returning from an evening out, we were dropped off by a taxi and unintentionally walked in the wrong direction to get back to the apartment.

We soon figured out that we were turned around and had entered Harlem in the early hours of the morning.  Both of us were praying silently that we would find our way back.  At that moment of realization, a police car pulled up to us.  We reluctantly got in their car.

On the way to dropping us off, the officers made a stop at a dark building where they picked up a brown bag that looked more like a drug deal than an early morning snack.  Needless to say, prayers were constant and the next stop they made was our destination.  I was grateful, yet again, for the power of prayer.

Ten years later I found myself living in NYC.  I was living in a warehouse flat on 1st and Houston.  I worked uptown at 40th and Broadway, a few streets down from Times Square.  I found myself walking to the subway system at 7 am and back at 10 pm, rush hour was not an issue for me. 

Even though I was a small-town girl living in a big city, I never felt at risk.  I didn’t worry about safety walking to and from the subway system.  It never occurred to me that I might not be safe. 

I assume I will be safe and stay alert to anything out of the ordinary.  I do realize that there is always a risk of something bad happening, but I don’t look for trouble.  I assume that I am going to be fine and react only when I feel that my safety is in jeopardy, and that is seldom.

After being independent and single for many years, I found it interesting that when I met my husband he provided me a sense of safety.  Despite the fact that he didn’t do anything specifically to keep me safe, I felt a sense of security and safety as a unit.  I have never felt unsafe since his death, but when he was with me, I felt a stronger sense of security.

I realize that many people are in relationships where safety is a constant fear.  My knowledge of this is only through people who have spoken to me about living in this situation.  I know that it has been their faith that brought them through the rough times and it was faith that provided the strength to change the situation.  Prayers may not be answered according to one’s timeline or in the manner in which one hopes, but prayers are answered!

Feeling safe is a priority to me, but I don’t stress about safety.   It is my faith that gives me my strength and guides me through my everyday life providing confidence that God has a plan for each of us.

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