This is week 3 in the series about our 5 Emotional Needs. The goal for the series is to look at each of these needs and find out what it looks like to fulfill them with an Empowering perspective and what it looks like when we fulfill them with a Limiting Belief perspective.
This week the focus is on the need to feel safe.
Picture in your mind a newborn baby wrapped up so perfectly in their sweet little blanket – just like a little burrito! There is the feeling of safety for them when they are swaddled like that.
We do not have to look much further than our own bed to know that it takes quite the heat flash to get us to stick a foot outside of the sheets! It just does not seem safe, right??!!
The need is not just about physical safety. It is about emotional safety as well.
What is emotional safety?
It is knowing that you are safe to be authentically you – knowing that you can share your thoughts and opinions without being ridiculed.
Now, your kids may verbally disagree with this, but having boundaries and rules help them feel like they are cared for and when they know they are being taken care of, it helps them feel like they are worthy enough to be kept safe.
So even though they do not like rules and curfews, they know deep down inside that it means they have parents who care enough about them to make sure they are safe.
If we are in an environment that is constantly shifting and is undependable, it is hard to feel safe.
It allows our minds to believe that no one is going to be there for us when we need them.
The lie we create around this sounds something like “No one cares if I am ok. There must be something wrong with me.”
Once we have decided the lie to be truth, we go searching for proof, and remember, we are pretty good at this because we love to be right.
Here is what happens though, we look at everyone’s best qualities and compare them to our quirkiest to help ourselves believe we are flawed and not worth being taken care of.
The truth is, we are all flawed – hey, hey, we got that one right!
But the truth that we are forgetting or maybe you have never heard is that God promises to take care of us REGARDLESS!
The bible reminds us over and over how God delivered His people and how His promises stand throughout time. Remember that we live in a world full of trouble, but our circumstances do not dictate how much God loves us and looks after us.
God will always rescue us – always.
Have you heard the song Rescue by Lauren Daigle? It is my absolute favorite!!
We have a responsibility in helping to keep ourselves emotionally safe, too. It involves loving and trusting ourselves. Not beating ourselves up for bad decisions or mistakes. We acknowledge them, learn from them, and move on from them.
We need to be aware of our surroundings and whether the people we have allowed into our lives build us up or are constantly tearing us down.
It is also our responsibility to help those around us feel physically and emotionally safe. Listening, caring, giving, and just being kind makes all the difference in the world.
My challenge to you this week would be to ask yourself these questions:
When I think about the people I am around, do I feel better or worse about myself?
Do the words that come out of my mouth help the person I am talking to or about feel emotionally safe?
As always, if you need someone to talk to, please reach out to me!
(Here is the link to the song Rescue)
<>< KC