I didn’t start this year thinking about this question much, but recently I’ve pondered it quite a lot: What does it mean to be “safe”?

If there’s one thing COVID-19 has produced, it’s been this underlying question of safety. Think about it.

If you go to the grocery store, you wonder if the person at the checkout might have the virus. We’ve learned now that we need to wipe down our packages because the person doing the packaging might have had the virus.

And what about going for takeout or the drive-thru? The person at the window is friendly enough. Their smile is genuine, but underneath we’re still thinking, Do they have the virus?

But that’s not the end of the safety question. For some, safety used to look like the steady job, a regular paycheck, and perhaps a growing 401(k) account. For others, a little nest egg, a savings account, a retirement fund—all growing and preparing a safe place to land. The virus took that away. In fact, for most, this net of safety went into a tailspin.

Looking for safety

How do you define safe? The dictionary says it like this: protected from or not exposed to danger or risk; not likely to be harmed or lost.

Protected from harm. Not likely to be harmed or lost. Those are strong and powerful words, because they beg the question: Where do you find safety? What is safe?

Perhaps one of the most powerful things about COVID-19 is that it’s shaken our definition of safety. It’s not bank accounts. Not in grocery stores. It’s not stockpiled pantries. And with the social distancing, safety is not even in the communities of relationship we build.

We have to first look within our heart and soul and determine what makes us safe.

For people of faith, it’s the belief that God the Father, through Jesus Christ has prepared for us a safe place with him, today. It’s not just a future place—the heaven beyond. But it’s a relationship with Him today where he guides and covers us.

Psalm 37.3 says it this way, “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.”

So in this day, the COVID-19 era, with the volatile markets, the job losses and unemployment, and the stories of loss, do you feel safe?

Photo by Alex on Unsplash

Bill High

Bill is CEO & Founder of Vyne Legacy. He works with families to equip them with tools to build multigenerational legacies, and he teaches givers and financial advisers on transformational biblical generosity. He is the co-author with David Green of Giving It All Away and Getting It All Back Again: The Way of Living Generously.

Published April 15, 2020

Topics: A Life of Faith

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