Safe and Sound

Hi everyone,
So my mind has been dwelling on a flurry of topics this week of many things going on in my little world and the world at large and thanks to a little help from one of my fuzzy friends today I have my post for this week. ;) I was brushing little Bella who is the newest member to my family as of this past late fall. We are still working on getting her over her shyness and there is something I realized as I was spending time her that caused me to think on a much larger scale. When I brush her I have to be quiet and soft with my movements and even then from time to time she can get tense and uncertain. But, what I learned today is when I sing or hum she relaxes significantly. You can see the change in her eyes and her body language. She seems much more at peace and calm. Now I can pat myself on the back a little and say I must not be that terrible of singer then haha!!! But no really, it is quite remarkable to see the change. Ok so other than the point of I might be crazy because I am singing "My Only Sunshine" to a miniature horse :D there is a point to all this...
I began thinking about all the upset that has been going on in this country and between its citizens as of lately and even in just the past week. It seems like so many people are on edge and can't seem to relax and just enjoy life anymore because they are worried about what might happen in the near future. People are angry at each other and pointing fingers in our government and that has trickled down into our very communities. There is this sense of unease and discord in our society. Just as Bella is, we are tense and on edge, doubting, wondering what is going to happen.
And then the singing led me to realize the very thing that Bella needed. She needs to know that she is safe and sound. She needs to know that she is secure and that she has nothing to be afraid of. Much like a mother's song that put us to sleep as children or a father's words of assurance, it makes her feel more at peace. And as I thought more and more about this, it came to make sense to me on a much larger scale. We as humans need to know we are safe and sound. We have that desire to be secure which can be manifested in many ways, whether it is through the love and support of our families and spouses, financially, socially, in the work-force, or in our beliefs. We have this desire to feel safe and protected. And when we don't feel secure we get tense and fearful until we lash out. Society today is scared. For some this brings out different aspects, some productive and some destructive. And often in this day and age, that means finding of safety and security is not always the right thing. For politicians it is wealth and power, for activists it is having all of their agendas passed, for celebrities it is getting awards every couple of months it seems, for others it is drugs, alcohol, sex, and possessions. Everyone is searching for that security, that validation that everything is going to be okay if they have a certain thing or something goes their way or if they can fool themselves long enough into believing that, that something is what they need to take away the fear. But really they momentary fixes that don't give lasting peace at all.
So this world much like Bella needs a song. Ok not like the Sound of Music type stuff...but rather particular words. Words from a heavenly Father who is the only One who can truly assure that safety and security. This country has become so set on having a shouting match at each other that we cannot hear the words that truly need to be said. The song that needs to be sung. That every life is valued by God and that all the peace in the world can be found when we put the sticks down and find the anchor for our souls in Him. Violence isn't created by the objects used, it is created in the hearts of people who use them, who are angry and upset because they are insecure about who they are. Banning objects solves nothing. If I removed everything that spooked Bella or for any of my horses for that matter, then there would be nothing left of their world. If I threw away the brush and walked away and never touched her again, what would I solve? Nothing. Instead I have to be persistent, doing what I know is the right thing to do and speaking or singing to her in love. "Speaking the truth in love..." Eph. 4:15 (NIV) In the same way people need to learn to stop screaming at each other, destroying things, banning everything, and start looking each other in the eye, seeing another fellow human being and explaining our viewpoints in firm persistent love knowing that we all aren't going to see eye to eye and we can reach an agreement despite that. The truth must be spoken, Bella has to learn how to function with me in her life, but we can find peace. But that peace can only be found when people feel safe in who they are, what they are doing, and where they are going. And honestly only God Himself can be the solution to all of those things and it isn't always going to be what everyone in this world wants to hear. But when they hear the song that was meant for them instead of the one that they have allowed their brains to accept, then they will never find the security they so desperately seek. And so there will be more protests, more bans, more murders, more scandals, more power struggles, more fear. Until people start hearing the words of a Father who loves them too much to let them go. To feel the touch of kind hand from someone who wants to share with them the truth...that they can be safe and sound. And when you have that safety and security, yes things can upset you and you still need to stand for the truth, but ultimately God has got a plan and everything is under His control no matter what. We need not worry for our future is sealed. And the reason I believe that we are still here today and that this world and Jesus has not come back yet is that even though things are hard God is not finished yet. There are people that still need to hear the truth and feel His love. We still have a job to do. Voices that need to be heard, and words that need to be spoken. A song that will melt away the fear and instill the hope that things can be different. And peace will come.

The Lord is my light and my salvation,
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life,
of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm27:1 (NIV)