Safety

Are we ever really safe?

What is safety, after all?

Hiking my favorite North Carolina mountain trails last week renewed many memories.  One particular incident occurred so long ago I don’t know exactly where it was (possibly Linville Falls) or my age (maybe six or seven.)

It was a damp trail, dropping off to a river on one side, but with a rock wall rising on the other.  Water seeped from the wall, making muddy, damp sections along the way.  It was a perfect environment for salamanders, and I saw several scurrying nearby.

I have always loved reptiles and amphibians, an interest that was nurtured by my father.  Whenever he found a creature in our garden, he would show it to me with such delight that I began to delight in them as well.  Frogs, snakes, lizards…I was fascinated by them all.

So on this particular day of hiking, as I watched the little creatures making their way along the trail, I took note of one very tiny salamander.  I was convinced it was lost and its mother was looking for it.

The baby ran into a small hole in the rocks and I knew just what to do.  I wedged a rock into the opening, completely stopping it up.  I felt sure this would keep anything from harming the creature and would keep it from roaming out of reach of its mother.

I never considered how the mother would move the rock to get to her baby.  Nor did I think about how the baby would find food and water in that little hole.  In my efforts to protect the baby from certain dangers, I created others.

Silly humans.  Not nearly as smart as we think.  We can’t possibly know or plan for all of the possible outcomes of a situation, so how can we keep our loved ones safe?

The answer is simple.  We can’t.  Only God can and it’s to Him we need to entrust those we love.

I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.  Psalm 4:8 NIV

HE is our Answer and our Safety.