What is your Refuge?

The Bible uses the term “refuge” throughout. “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliver; my God and my rock in whom I take refuge, (Psalm 18:2a). It makes a lot of sense since the Israelites were surrounded by tribes or nations much bigger and more powerful than them. Yet, the Israelites often struggled to take refuge in God as they would place it in themselves, leaders, or other things. Whether one believes in God or not, everyone has a refuge. They are places where we go for security, hope, endurance, etc. The question is, what is yours? It can be money, materials, success, power, or image. Underneath the externals could be a refuge of acceptance, validation, or security. What do you get easily angry or break down about if it is ever so slightly challenged?

One of the things about the refuge that we go to is that they overpromise, but never provide. For example, porn promises intimacy and a good life, but it delivers the opposite by providing loneliness, pain, and a life of shame. Even a good refuge like safety can be costly. Even though safety is important, one can find refuge in it to such a degree that they are always looking over their shoulder, assessing all the worse possible scenarios, or never take a chance of vulnerability with others who are trustworthy. The sad reality is that a person like this feels like they are finding safety, but they are cutting themselves off from helpful relationships that provide support (your abuser is not a helpful nor a trustworthy relationship. Please find one for your safety), living an unsafe life of anxiety, and being controlled by it. So how does your refuge overpromise and never provide? What would it look like to take a step away from it wisely and see what happens?

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