By Lynna Clark

A thunderstorm rocked our house last night. It was so close and so loud that my kind neighbor Carrington sent me a text. “Ms. Lynna, you okay?” “Yes dear.” I replied. Her answer came quickly. “Okay, I’m always here.” I smiled at my phone as I thought of this young single mother who reached out to me in the middle of a terrible storm. It felt good to know she was near. I thought about the neighbor between us who is also a widow. Her comforting phrase to me several times now has been, “I’m only steps away.” Both these women were here only a year ago when there was a terrible shooting just the other side of Carrington which took two lives. Each could have found a different place to live, or could have given in to the fear that clawed at us during that terrible time. But they didn’t. Instead, they often extend comfort to me in my new season of living alone.

Proverbs 18:10 says “The Name of the Lord is a High Tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” That verse has always reminded me of our principal in the school where David and I worked for twenty years. His last name was Hightower and he was our three a.m. friend; the one we always knew we could call in a crisis. His wife Becky, who also taught at the school began to recognize the growing need to help children with dyslexia. So she trained to become an advocate/teacher/safe place for these little ones who often get overlooked. How fitting is the name Hightower for this couple.

The July 26, 2025 devotional in Our Daily Bread really stood out to me. The writer pointed out these things about God being our safe place. I loved it.

• Trouble reminds us we need a safe place to stay
• His Name represents the entirety of Who He is
• Taking refuge in Him means choosing His help over everything else.
• I have a lifetime of reliance and trust in Him; time after time He has been faithful

Psalm 27 comes to mind as I think of the Lord’s great love and protection. “The Lord is my light and my salvation- so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger; so why should I tremble?”

Ohhh the messes we’ve been in and the troubles we have seen. Praise God He has always, always been our safe place to run.