Have you ever woken up in a state of panic? Maybe it was because you were particularly tired. Maybe you were sick. Maybe you were travelling and not in your own bed. It has happened to me a few times and nothing is more unsettling then being confused about where you are. I remember one time being in a cottage near Huntsville and waking up in the middle of the night to complete darkness. It was so dark I felt claustrophobic. It made me want to go home and get my trusty Snoopy nightlight!
Imagine what it must be like to be awake in a city you have lived in all your life and still get confused about exactly where you are. Oh, you might know the generalities of where you are, but at the same time, there is a veil of confusion that makes even the familiar seem unfamiliar. It feels kind of like you’re in a dream, but you know you are awake and your confusion is real.
I can’t think of many things more unsettling than that. Yesterday a friend of mine had that happen to him. Perhaps it was the heat and humidity. Maybe he was dehydrated. Maybe it was a combination of factors, I really can’t say. All I know is that his confusion was real and the fear I saw in his eyes when he showed up at the church yesterday was palpable. Understandably he was in quite a state.
He recounted to me the story of how a friend was supposed to pick him up downtown but he couldn’t remember where he had been dropped off. Everything seemed to close in on him. It was then that he said something that I will never forget. He said, “I didn’t know where I was, I was so confused, but I knew if I could just get here (meaning the church) then I’d be safe.”
As soon as he said it, I immediately saw his journey as a terrifying parable with a profound truth. Life gets more and more confusing. Principles that should be foundational are now vaguely familiar. The moral architecture of our world is shifting. The challenges we face as God’s people can sometimes be overwhelming. Navigating life today can get terribly bewildering. But if we can just remember that there is a safe place. If we can just remember that there is a place where truth calms our confusion and the love of Christ brings comfort, we can make it through those times of panic.
Ultimately, I was honoured that my friend chose Keele Street to be that place of safety. I can’t help but think that, more than ever, we need the hope, the love, the fellowship and support of the local church to be that grounding place of safety and reality in a world that often seems like a disorienting bad dream. More than anything else, we need to trust in the Prince of Peace. After all He is the One who promised – “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33, NIV).
