As some of you may know I’ve been writing on emotional health and healing on my other blog ‘Healing for Men‘, the link is above, on that blog, I write about my journey of self awareness and healing from abuse. In this blog I have tended to write about youth work practice and how this is theological and spiritual and my own experiences as a practitioner.

Somewhere between the two, for me, sits the spiritual, and thats why , when ive had a number of things I wanted to write about, about faith and spirituality I didn’t know where I was going to ‘put them’, so ill try here.

The concept ive been pondering for a while combines spirituality with safety.

So, starting with ‘Safe’

How important is safety in our youthwork and mission practice?

To the policy makers and external stakeholders and public – safety brings to the attention safeguarding, child protection and risk assessment – ensuring that people are safe as they participate in the space.

But safety is something more than this isn’t it?

As Goffman, in ‘The Presentation of the Self in everyday life’ (1960) says, safety exists in the interaction of relationships.

And talking about safety. Theres Maslow.

And when Ive thought about Maslow in the past, I wasn’t thinking about myself. I was thinking only about how the young people in my groups, my projects and ministry are on this ladder, and how – beyond the physiologically necessary, safety wasn’t important.

But what didn’t I see. Myself.

Maybe youthwork academic training wasn’t the time or place to see these things, or myself. But what kind of faith or spirituality did I have – in a place where I had no emotional safety, awareness and in denial of myself? It was faith – it was academic faith. Ask me to write an essay about theology and I could. Just don’t ask me to feel anything. Church was a place of work, a place to be productive – it wasn’t a place to be. But I digress, the question remains – What kind of spirituality and faith could I have – when I was in denial and hiding deep trauma? When I wasn’t in a place of safety?

If I wasn’t safe to feel and express emotions – what kind of spirituality was I trying to have – defiantly not one that was healthy. It was from a false self, a codependent self, it was from an incomplete place.

This passage was shared with me today- at the end of Lukes Gospel:

Regular readers of my blog will know that this passage has featured before. Today I noticed something about safety.

The disciples are walking back from the terrors of Jerusalem, and the drama of the crucifixion weekend, and everything that has crashed, burned, fear of the Roman Empire, and soldiers all around. These two were walking home, and on the open road are met with a visitor they didn’t recognise. In trauma they couldn’t and didn’t see. Their mind so engrossed in the consequences of the events. Past plaguing present.

But what happens to them when they reach a place of safety – their home?

They not only see.

But they also feel.

Their hearts burn – they feel.

It is something new for them – to feel Jesus, to feel.

Faith wasn’t just a head exercise – it involved their whole body. But could only do so from and in a place of safety.

They didn’t just ‘not see’, or not know – until then they didn’t feel either. Until they were safe. Thats when they can express their feelings.

So – what kind of faith did they then have – through death and resurrection – beyond trauma- safety was what was required, for them to connect mind to heart and experience – and also faith.

They had a different faith – once it wasn’t just their head.

They had a different faith – when they were safe enough to feel.

When it was their whole body.

Where would these two disciples have been on Maslows scale? Basic needs – probably..safety..not quite… but what happened once they were in a place of safety? Something inside, feelings, emotions and faith changed.

And, back to me – what I have experienced in the last 3 years, that I didn’t know I needed before – and was living and doing faith in ‘survival mode’- safety, physical and emotional safety- and as a consequence… being able to feel, to be and to connect more closely and deeply with my body, and soul, emotions and feelings.

As a result – something has changed spiritually too.

Ill explore this with you in a few upcoming blogs, but I kind of wanted this one to be an introduction to my experiences and reflections on safe spirituality.

Thank you for reading, comments and thoughts welcome.