Sunday Reflection: Taking Refuge With You.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 KJV
One thing I have noticed over the years while working with clients is how different someone can feel when they enter a space where they finally feel safe enough to settle.
I have had people come to me carrying anxiety, fear, racing thoughts, worries, and the weight of everything happening around them.
And then something shifts.
They breathe differently.
Their bodies begin to soften.
Their thoughts become quieter.
They feel at peace.
But eventually, they have to leave.
And that has always mattered to me.
What happens when you leave the place where you feel safe?
What happens when you return home, go back to work, get into the car, lie down at night, or encounter another moment when everything begins to feel like too much?
I never wanted the work I do with someone to only be useful while they are sitting with me.
I want people to have ways to reconnect with that sense of refuge when they step back into the world.
Sometimes We Need Something We Can Touch
Throughout my own spiritual walk, I have learned the importance of prayer, discernment, stillness, and trusting God.
I have also learned that sometimes there is something special about having a physical reminder in your hands.
A scent can take you back to a peaceful moment.
An oil can become part of a personal prayer or rest ritual.
A small token can remind you of what you know when fear is trying to make you forget.
A pen and a piece of paper can give thoughts somewhere to go besides around and around in your mind.
These things do not replace prayer or become the source of our refuge.
Sometimes they simply remind us how to return to it.
That understanding became part of the heart behind my Refuge Kits.
When the Mind Feels Too Full
One practice I have found particularly helpful for people who struggle with racing thoughts involves something incredibly simple: doodling.
When everything feels enormous inside the mind, I encourage the person to put it onto paper.
Imagine every worry, problem, responsibility, and thought taking up space.
Then begin drawing circles.
Smaller.
And smaller.
And smaller.
Until what once seemed large enough to consume the entire page has been visually placed into a much smaller space.
The circumstances may not have changed.
But they no longer have to occupy the whole page.
Sometimes we need to see that.
Your Refuge May Look Different
This is also why every Refuge Kit does not have to be the same.
Before creating one, I consider the person, what they are navigating, and what came forward during our consultation.
One person may connect deeply with scent.
Another may need something tactile they can hold.
Someone else may benefit from doodling, writing, prayer, or another practice they can return to when their thoughts become overwhelming.
Oil has also been part of my work with clients. When someone leaves me, I pray for them and bless them. Some have shared how meaningful that sensory experience became afterward, particularly during moments when settling into rest felt difficult.
Now I can give them something they can take with them.
Not because I want someone to believe they cannot find peace without me.
Quite the opposite.
I want you to know how to find your way back when I am not there.
The Heart Behind Refuge
That is why I created the Refuge Kit.
It isn't simply a bag filled with things.
It is an extension of a larger intention:
How can I help someone carry what they experienced here into the rest of their life?
The kit may contain different tools for different people because refuge does not look exactly the same for everyone.
And perhaps that is the greater lesson.
Sometimes refuge is a quiet room.
Sometimes it is prayer.
Sometimes it is being in the presence of someone who makes you feel safe enough to finally exhale.
Sometimes it is a familiar scent, a small object in your hand, a few circles drawn across a page, or a ritual that reminds your spirit:
I know how to return.
The tangible thing is not God.
The tangible thing is not the source.
Sometimes it is simply a reminder.
Because ultimately:
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Psalm 46:1 KJV
And wherever you go, may you remember that refuge is not confined to the room where you first experienced it.
May you learn to carry refuge with you.
With love,
Holistic Healing Works
