Safe

Think of a person you consider safe.  Safe for you. Safe to be honest with and safe to share your heart with.  What makes that person safe?

I’ve had a few discussions about this recently.  One key factor in my discussions is the person won’t be sharing what you say with anyone else. At the core, that means this person is trustworthy. They aren’t a gossip.  They are careful what they say about you when they talk about you to others. They speak of you with respect.  Do you always know that?  No. But when you spend time with people you see how they talk about others, and you learn how much you can trust them.

But I don’t think that is all there is to it. I think a safe person is also, as a friend said, “full of grace for you.”  When you want to share deep discussion with a safe person, they are willing to go there.  They don’t judge you or treat you differently when they know your struggles.  They might make suggestions, but often they just listen and still love you.  Somehow they still love you.

I’m sure there is more to it, but for now, I just want to work on being the type of person that is safe for the people I care most about.