When life feels unsafe

 Even when life feels unsafe, God’s presence is unshakable and His grace unstoppable.

“The Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”

— 2 Thessalonians 3:3

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There are moments in life that divide everything… the before and the after.

Losing Michael was one of those moments for me. Since then… being at the American Fish Company shooting was another.

That night, I walked away with only a small fragment in my leg what turned out to be a polymer tip but the impact went much deeper than anything physical. It stirred up something I hadn’t felt in a long time: that deep, aching feeling of being unsafe.

Before Michael, safety was something I longed for but rarely felt. He changed that.

Through his strength, his tenderness, and his relationship with Christ, he made safety feel real, not because life was easy, but because his faith was steady. His trust in God made our home peaceful and my heart secure.

When he went to heaven, that peace felt fragile again. I trusted God’s goodness, but it didn’t always feel close.

Then came that night, the shooting, the chaos, the realization of how close I came to not being here. It was terrifying… but also strangely clarifying. Because somehow, even in the middle of it, I knew I wasn’t alone.

And I see now that even when I couldn’t feel safe, Christ was still my safety. His protection wasn’t gone…it just looked different.

This week, when a small piece of that bullet surfaced from my leg, it reminded me that healing often happens in layers. Sometimes, the fragments of what hurt us rise back to the surface when God knows we’re ready to release them.

And in that moment, I was reminded of the word God spoke to me one Sunday morning: Unshakable.

That same day, Michael’s word was Unstoppable.

At the time, I thought they were personal words — meant just for us.

Now I see they were a promise.

Even though Michael’s unstoppable spirit carried him home to heaven, that same unstoppable grace is what keeps carrying me forward here.

And even when my world has been shaken, Christ in me has remained unshakable.

The same God who gave me Michael and carried me through losing him also carried me through that night.

His faithfulness did not end with my heartbreak… it followed me into the fear, the grief, and even the places I didn’t understand.

Maybe that’s the message I’m meant to share…that even when life feels unsafe and uncertain, the presence of Christ is unshakable and His grace unstoppable.

He doesn’t always prevent the storms, but He never leaves us to face them alone.

Michael’s love made me brave.

God’s love keeps me here.

And even in the “after,” His faithfulness remains.

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Lord,

Thank You for being my shelter when the world feels unsafe.

Thank You for Your unshakable presence and Your unstoppable grace that meet me in every season — the peaceful ones and the painful ones alike.

When fear rises, remind me that You are near.

When grief feels heavy, remind me that Your love is stronger still.

Help me to rest in the truth that my safety is not in circumstances, but in You.

Use my story! The pain, the survival, the love, and the healing,

to remind others that no matter how broken life may feel, You are still writing purpose into every piece of it.

May my heart remain unshakable in faith,

and my spirit unstoppable in Your grace.

Amen. Forever and always.