Fear is something I’ve struggled with since childhood. How about you? What threatening thing has been on your heels for as long as you can remember? I do believe the enemy of our souls strikes us early on in our most vulnerable places, causing us to believe lies like the one I ran from most of my life: “You are not safe.” This led to a sense of anxiety threaded through the years, presenting itself in all sorts of ways. It also led me to try and find relief everywhere: in alcohol to numb it, starving myself to give me a sense of control, religion to try and become good enough for a God who seemed unpredictable and distant. What have you looked to for relief from your lifelong struggles? Have you learned yet that nothing apart from the unconditional love of your Creator can give you peace? We tend to learn this lesson so slowly and through much difficulty. Many of us have to return over and over to our little gods in order to finally accept that they're not made to rescue us. But our true God is infinitely patient, and He waits for us to make that discovery ourselves. My son and I flew to Kansas yesterday, and as we drove up the lane to my childhood home, I was struck by the sense of safety I always feel as I return to the arms of my parents, and the familiar surroundings of my growing-up place. In the same way, God has been showing me lately that there is one place where I am forever safe at Home: In His love. This world can be chaotic and uncertain, but the Love He offers is immovable and indestructible. Jesus came to show us that Love has the last word. No matter what we are running from, what struggles we experience on this earth, how many days we feel we are barely hanging on, how much danger we face – real or imagined -- there is a safety net that will always catch us in the end. Next time you find yourself in the trenches, I pray you will remember that. Nothing can take it away.