Feeling Safe, by Rev. Dr. Liesa Leggett Garcia

A favorite affirmation I used to say a lot, especially under stressful or uncertain circumstances, was, “I am safe and secure and surrounded by Love.” I used it when walking home alone at night down dark streets. I used it when I had stage fright before public speaking. I used it the one and only time I zip-lined in Costa Rica. I used it during intense turbulence on an airplane. But I’ve also used it when I was waiting for a doctor’s diagnosis. I’ve used it in many scary situations as a warm safety blanket. 

And if I can feel insecure or fearful in certain situations, I know others do, too. I do my best to be aware of creating a safe and welcoming environment for others when the power to do so, lies at my feet. I understand how it feels to be the “odd man” out. To be different. To be new. So what measures do I need to take, so people feel safe? If they feel foolish or even, God forbid, threatened, they won’t be comfortable, and they won’t stay. Or come back.

Maybe the bridge to creating an atmosphere of safety is empathy. Putting myself in another’s shoes and asking myself, how would this feel?

People can feel unsafe when they feel different. They can feel unsafe when they don’t know what they’re doing, but everyone else does. They can feel unsafe when they are in a culture that everyone knows what’s going on, the language to use, how to do it—and they don’t. Maybe there’s not a physical threat of danger (and maybe there is), but the emotional threat can feel just as terrifying.

If I don’t feel safe in a situation, I ask myself, what am I afraid of? What would happen if I could just allow myself to trust the situation and ultimately trust God?

The very word, safety, it seems to me, implies fear. But our spiritual self doesn’t need to concern itself with feeling safe, does it?

While I appreciate feeling safe, I also recognize that if I place my need to be safe above everything else, I pay the price of finding new things about myself and my life because I never wanted to leave the safety of my living room. I may have to give up my need to feel safe for my desire for self-discovery.

And no matter what, I am safe and secure and surrounded by love.

Dr. Liesa Leggett Garcia is the Senior Minister of the Center for Spiritual Living, Reno.

Center for Spiritual Living, Reno invites you to visit our Spiritual Community to explore new possibilities for your life.

We are a loving community, providing spiritual tools for personal transformation, creating a world that works for everyone! We honor all paths to God.

Center for Spiritual Living, Reno is an affiliated member of Centers for Spiritual Living in Golden Colorado. Our Center was chartered in 1963 as First Church of Religious Science. Over these past 50+ years, our name has changed but our teaching and principles have stayed the same.

We offer a practical spiritual philosophy teaching that draws on the wisdom of the ages and New Thought principles, in order to promote awakening and personal growth.

With a variety of services available, Center for Spiritual Living, Reno meets the needs of families, singles, children, adults, and seniors. Whatever your lifestyle or spiritual path, you will feel welcomed. Our spiritual community is ready to embrace, love, and accept you as you are. Everyone is included on the path to God!

If you are looking for a warm, dynamic, loving community of like-minded people, we invite you to visit Center for Spiritual Living, Reno and claim the life your soul is seeking.