“Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person, having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away.” ~ George Elliot (aka: Mary Ann Evans)
have you ever felt this safe?
52 responses so far ↓
kristiapplesauce // July 11, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Almost always with Daniel. Yup…he is like that.I would say 99% of the time I feel completely safe and vulnerable with him. With my sister Laura she is next in line…and I am assuming that the obvious one is our relationship with Christ.
Brandy // July 11, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Yes.
Husbands and old friends are the best!
mandythompson // July 11, 2008 at 3:20 pm
husbands definitely. drew is like a safe-haven for me at times. sooooo safe.
alece // July 11, 2008 at 3:21 pm
i’m stuck on the fact that someone named george is also known as mary ann.
alece // July 11, 2008 at 3:21 pm
i can only think of a handful of times i’ve felt that safe.
mandythompson // July 11, 2008 at 3:24 pm
george = mary ann. yeah. back in the day lady-authors were frowned upon.
so. a handful? name one.
Birgit // July 11, 2008 at 3:26 pm
Yeah, and that kind of acceptance is the most free-ing thing.
darla // July 11, 2008 at 3:27 pm
i dont’ think much about safety..not too smart huh?? but I think I feel the safest when in my secret plac hanging out with Jesus.. I know sounds kind of made up..but welcome to my world!
mandythompson // July 11, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Birgit: OH MY GOSH i completely agree. it’s like we can finally come out of our shells - out of hiding - out of the cleft of the rock. totally. sometimes i wonder if that verse about perfect love casting out all fear - if that verse has something to do with this? i don’t remember the context, but i think about that verse when topics like this come up.
darla // July 11, 2008 at 3:28 pm
why are you not playing FIF? I have been checking for you…i think its safe for us to play
alece // July 11, 2008 at 3:29 pm
aaah. got it.
a time when i confessed something shameful about myself to a friend…
mandythompson // July 11, 2008 at 3:29 pm
darla: maybe it’s good that you don’t think about safety. i wish i was one without a past that makes me think about the dangers out there… i wish i was fearless. but i think i’m becoming fearless. i think i am entering your world ~ and i like it!
mandythompson // July 11, 2008 at 3:30 pm
darla: HAHAHA!!! i get lost in FIF. totally lost. just got home from work. i’m stopping by!
alece: yes. thank you…
darla // July 11, 2008 at 3:31 pm
my past was very fearful..but learning that God is so capable to protect me, and you, and he is better than Allstate (sorry heidi had to do it). I am also learning…HE is not safe but HE is good…and after tasting the goodness..its worth it. Love you girl, you sound down…saying a prayer for you!
mandythompson // July 11, 2008 at 3:40 pm
Darla:
Heidi totally did it!!! i sound down? well… i just got home. am a little tired. but i don’t think down. i think i just get sad when i remember all the times i was afraid to be safe in friendships… and all the times when it wasn’t safe, but i wasn’t afraid. funny ~ i could never be afraid at the unsafe times. i got it all backwards for some reason.
Birgit // July 11, 2008 at 3:41 pm
I know what you mean about that verse. God is the best at giving that kind of love because He knows all there is to know, but still loves us completely anyway. But people too can love unconditionally. Maybe it’s only a handful of times that we get to feel that kind of love, but wow, I am SO thankful for that handful.
darla // July 11, 2008 at 3:51 pm
mandythompson // July 11, 2008 at 3:55 pm
D: i can TOTALLY hear. i hear the words when i read them. it’s my reading voice…
Birgit: i think it is only a handful… and i try to hold on to those handfuls when they come. i really do. sometimes the relationships last, sometimes they slip through the cracks, but i’m always the better for having been a part of them.
alece // July 11, 2008 at 5:05 pm
i just re-read this today, and it seemed applicable… so i’m passing it along:
“I suppose that since most of our hurts come through relationships so will our healing.”
traciejane // July 11, 2008 at 5:14 pm
Hey Alece I like that quote, A-LOT!
mandythompson // July 11, 2008 at 5:26 pm
i could not agree more
alece // July 11, 2008 at 5:31 pm
“Trust is the fruit of a relationship in which you know you are loved.”
traciejane // July 11, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Oh my gosh, I just found that quote in the book I am reading. How cool!
I almost quoted from that book earlier- I like this one: Nothing makes us so lonely as our secrets- Paul Tournier
alece // July 11, 2008 at 5:37 pm
traciejane… are you reading “the shack”?
traciejane // July 11, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Alece, I am… just started it today!!!
traciejane // July 11, 2008 at 5:39 pm
I like the part after what you wrote where it says…, and I know that grace rarely makes sense for those looking in from the outside.
alece // July 11, 2008 at 5:42 pm
i really enjoyed the book. it’s very different, but jampacked with powerful truths.
mandythompson // July 11, 2008 at 6:03 pm
this book is stinking haunting me. it’s everywhere. i keep reading/hearing about it.
dang.
these quotes are amazing.
TheNorEaster // July 11, 2008 at 6:44 pm
“These quotes are amazing.”
Debs // July 11, 2008 at 7:12 pm
I walked away from my safety and didn’t realize it til I had returned…I never will again..
mandythompson // July 11, 2008 at 7:24 pm
TheNor: what did i say?
Debs: how long did it take you to return??
Heidi // July 11, 2008 at 7:41 pm
I haven’t been here ALL day and you guys are dissing me??
Been a Christian for a VERY long time, my gosh almost 26 years and I am still seeking “total security” This is something I actually struggle in and something I TOTALLY write about all the time in my blog. My blog has actually been a catalyst to my healing.
I am not totally grown up yet…… but that’s okay.
edfromct // July 11, 2008 at 7:50 pm
I rarely feel unsafe anymore, which probably means I am not taking enough risks in life.
1godsgal // July 11, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Actually Mandy, I walked away when I was 19 and didn’t come back til I was 26. That time was very dark and lonely, but I always cried out to God…He never let me down no matter how much trouble I was in, or how deep I was in the gook. It was during that time after he pulled me up from the storm and I set my eyes back to His that He taught me the difference between giving my life to Him, and choosing to walk with Him. It’s been safe and secure and beautiful ever since…
By the way, I just bawled my way through your Mom song…twice…wow…amazing!
TheNorEaster // July 11, 2008 at 8:18 pm
ah…just bustin’ yer chops over that thar SHIFT key.
mandythompson // July 11, 2008 at 9:21 pm
Heidi: oh girl! i wonder how many of us can say that blogging has been a catalyst for healing. dang. lots i’m sure.
Ed: i want a no-risk life!!!!
GodsGal: tell me~ what is the difference between giving my life to Him and choosing to walk with Him? sorry i made you cry…
TheNor: gotcha!!! always the shift key!
ramsey72 // July 11, 2008 at 9:52 pm
Not as much as I would I like….
mandythompson // July 11, 2008 at 11:05 pm
ramsey: i think a LOT of us would answer the same.
1godsgal // July 12, 2008 at 12:42 am
Mandy, that was the process He took me through. I can remember the day I sincerely with a true heart gave my life to Him. I know without a doubt I was saved…but for a season I only cried out to Him out of fear, or when i was in major trouble etc. and really didn’t pay any mind about Him unless it was in a circumstance like that.
I took several years of getting clobbered by a drunk before I truly surrendered and purposefully started walking with Him. I don’t believe I was any less saved during those years, but until I started choosing to follow His lead, He left me in the muck to think about it for awhile. That was when my life change happened…I hope that made sense…and that song is very powerful..the cry was a compliment…
mandythompson // July 12, 2008 at 8:28 am
godsgal: wow… yes. i’ve got it. you weren’t any less saved, just less free? “several years?” - those words just LEAPT out of the page at me. whew… i can’t even imagine. i’m so thankful you got out of that muck. thank you for sharing.
Michelle // July 12, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Safety is not something I’ve felt much of outside of my relationship with the Lord. Phat’s safe, that’s why I married him.
Theresa // July 12, 2008 at 5:09 pm
I can honestly say that there have been 3 people in my life that have made me feel this safe. The first and most important is God. He has always been there, always forgiven, and always tried his hardest to lead me away from trouble that I self inflicted. The second is my husband. I could/can say, do, wear, or be anywhere and he would support me, listen to me and accept me. Craig has never condemed me, called me stupid or made me feel that I couldn’t tell him anything. Because of the way he has always accepted me I have never felt that I have had to censor anything that I need to say or hold back any truth. The third would be my father. We had a short relationship, only about ten years. We did stupid things together (you can read about that on my blog) but he would never ever let anything happen to me and I could just be me with him at a time in my life that was difficult (16-26).
I really had to think about that though and it kind of saddens me that I can’t say my mother has ever made me feel that safe. But that is a whole other story (also available on my blog)
mandythompson // July 12, 2008 at 6:28 pm
Michelle: i’m learning that our husbands can/should be the most safe we feel… and i laugh each time you refer to him as “phat” ~ it’s just too funny!
Theresa: wow. three. and i find it interesting (coincidental?) that you didn’t list any females in your 3… wow. but i’m so thankful that you had that safety with your dad. that’s one of the most formative relationships a woman can experience.
Michelle // July 12, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Comic Phat
He’s ALL that!
But just “Phat” for short - really gets to him. hehe
mandythompson // July 12, 2008 at 10:37 pm
“comic phat” ??? that’s amazing! HA!!! but, i’m sure just “phat” makes him crazy.
Michelle // July 12, 2008 at 11:30 pm
Totally…I have a mean streak.
Michelle // July 12, 2008 at 11:31 pm
but it’s really all bluff…
mandythompson // July 13, 2008 at 2:12 pm
HAHAHAHAHA!!!! woman, you’re crazy. crazy funny!!
annie // July 13, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Oh yes. These friendships are the best and most blessed kind that God has made.
mandythompson // July 13, 2008 at 7:21 pm
yeah, annie, they don’t come around very often, so when they do i really try to hold on to them! (i think i might’ve said that already up there somewhere.)
melissa irwin // July 14, 2008 at 10:17 am
wow that is an awesome quote. i don’t feel that safe with anyone…. but my husband comes fairly close…
A Few Points to Ponder « B’ahava // July 14, 2008 at 7:23 pm
[...] haven’t felt “safe” with someone for a [...]
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