Remember that feeling that formed in the pit of your stomach when you realized that the car behind you had been there for quite a long time, making the same turns you did? Or the panic when you lost sight of your child in a crowd, even for just one short moment? How about the dread that crept up on you when you realized that your wallet and keys had been stolen and you had know idea who had them now?
I have felt those feelings, and they are awful. The stress they cause goes beyond psychological damage. It also causes physical damage to our bodies. Maybe that’s one reason why the Bible is full of verses with the encouragement to “fear not”.
Of course, fear is an emotion that can pop up out of nowhere before we realize what has happened. While we can’t always avoid feeling fear, we can avoid living in fear. I think one of the best ways to do that is to be prepared. That’s why I’m getting ready to release a book that will give you up to date personal safety tips, powerful stories from my own experiences, and nuggets of Biblical wisdom to encourage you to live in faith, not fear.
We’ll dive into how we can keep ourselves, our loved ones, and even our community safer in our homes, our online activities, our faith communities, and more. We’ll also bust some safety myths so you can avoid mistakes that are being made every day because we don’t always have all the information we need. For example, did you know that
- most home burglaries take place between the hours of 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. and last eight to 10 minutes
- many thieves use unthreatening decoys, like children, to distract you while they grab your purse or boost your wallet
- Cell phone cameras can allow robbers to see through tinted windows
My goal with this book is to share resources you can trust, and encourage you to share what you learn so you can be a different king of P.I. – a Person of Impact. You can also check out my social media to get more safety information. If you have a safety tip you’d like for me to share, email me at [email protected]. You can also let me know what types of tips you’d be most interested in learning more about. Let’s kick fear to the curb as we join together to create safer communities where no one has to live in fear.
We can’t wrap up before I share a quick safety tip: Never let people into your home “to use the bathroom”. Even if it’s a woman with a child. They might be looking to steal drugs from your medicine cabinet or grab any small thing that looks valuable. They could also be casing your property for a break-in later on. This homeowner wishes she’d know about this common scam before she fell victim to it.
I don’t share these stories to scare you, but because I believe that we can learn valuable lessons from them. We aren’t meant to live in fear, though. We learn, we prepare, and we trust God. Psalm 91:2 from the New Living Translation says, “This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.” Trust God. As for people who mean to do us harm, together, we’ll learn to be ready for them.