How can we feel secure?
People are concerned about their personal security. Can we be truly safe? What precautions do we need to take to ensure our safety?
There was a time when I didn't give this much thought at all. I was happy and carefree, hitchhiking south with a friend and enjoying the adventure. We planned to travel to the southern tip of South America. One day when we were on the Atlantic coast, we decided to go out to the end of a long deserted pier. We passed only one group of men midway on the pier.
When we reached the end, we enjoyed the feeling of being alone in the middle of the ocean, listening to the sound of the waves all around us. Then the whole experience suddenly changed. The men we had passed came up from behind and surprised us, asking us for money. We reacted by trying to run past them on the narrow pier. They stopped us abruptly and took my pocketknife, which they used to cut off my blue jeans. I was held down flat on my back with several men surrounding me. When I looked to my side, I saw that my friend was lying unconscious.
At this time, I realized that it was doing me absolutely no good to physically struggle against the men. Instead, I decided to struggle mentally. I rebelled by turning my thought completely away from what was going on and claimed that good was possible right now. It was so long ago that I can't tell you exactly what I thought, but I do remember the result. Almost instantly the men let me go and quickly left. At the same time, my friend regained consciousness and told me that a vision of an angel had come to him, saying that there was work for him to do and that he would not die.
I was so grateful for this heavenly deliverance that when we returned to the hotel, I felt impelled to pray for all involved in the situation. I didn't feel angry with the men. I had seen so much poverty in that country that I felt compassion for them and their people. We then reported to the authorities what had happened, and were quickly reimbursed for the traveler's checks that had been stolen.
The best thing about this situation is that after this, I was not fearful. We decided not to continue our journey to the tip of South America.
Later, I came across the book "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, the Founder of Christian Science. It showed me why, in the case of the attack, I experienced immediate release. The book states, "Look away from the body into Truth and Love, the Principle of all happiness, harmony, and immortality. Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts" (pg. 261).
Do I think that because of this incident, police and security are not necessary? No, after this incident I worked as an unarmed security guard, trusting in God's loving care while I fulfilled my duties of enforcing law. I love this verse in Psalms: "Thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety" (Ps. 4:8).
It's helpful to me to think of all the people watching over the world in police, army, and security positions as symbols of the qualities of love, law, and order that rightfully belong in every aspect of our lives and everywhere in the universe. I'm grateful that God gives us all the wisdom and love we need to include all humanity in our prayers for peace, harmony, and security everywhere.
The Lord is thy keeper:
the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.... The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil:
he shall preserve thy soul.
The Lord shall preserve thy
going out and thy coming in
from this time forth,
and even for evermore.
Psalm 121: 5, 7, 8
