For Christmas one year my second child was given permission by us to own a pet rabbit. Before said pet was sourced it was important to ensure that we had a suitable habitat for it, and many of the other bits and pieces to enable this pet to reside safely with us.

This rabbit would need a hutch to keep it contained and free from risk of injury or attack. Within that hutch there needed to be 2 distinct ‘zones’ available for use – an area for sleeping and retreat, and an area to eat and move around in.

Sooner than expected we were given the opportunity to be a home for a male grey dwarf lop-eared baby rabbit who was given the name ‘Velvet’. I had not had close contact with a rabbit before and so was intrigued to watch Velvet grow and to observe his behaviour in his hutch. If he was in his ‘play’ space and I walked out near where his hutch was, his first response was to quickly retreat to the safer, enclosed sleeping space until he could sense that I am no threat.

While Velvet no longer resides at our house, my youngest child has been the pet parent to a Guinea pig – Luke. He has a dual sectioned hutch as well, and while he constantly squeaks for food and/or attention, as soon as you head over to his hutch he immediately ducks for cover in his sleeping space.

Watching this behaviour has made me ponder the concept of ‘safe spaces’. These small pets need a safe space for them to feel comfortable and protected and we, too, may need a safe space to retreat to if we are feeling threatened or unsure. Sometimes this is in the form of people we can talk to that we trust, or a physical place we can go to, or an internal place in our mind.

Over the years I have sometimes felt buffeted by an onslaught of many different things and in desperate need of a safe space. It is at these times when the promises in the Bible bring me comfort and an element of peace.

There are many, many references to God being a safe space available for me to hold onto, especially in these times. One such example is Psalm 18 verse 2, “The Lord is my rock and my place of safety. He is the God who saves me. My God is my rock. I go to him for safety. He is like a shield to me. He’s the power that saves me. He’s my place of safety.” (NIRV)

While this reminder of a safe space does not take away the situations we may be facing, it does give me hope that through it all God is with me in the experience. He is my place of safety and I am grateful.

Be blessed.