I cut my teeth as a paperboy, a grocery bagger, and, during those hot Indiana summers between college semesters, a factory worker.
If you’ve spent any time in Southern Indiana, you know it’s a region steeped in manufacturing, especially furniture. The factories? They were hot, sweaty, and dangerous. Heavy equipment, blades, sharp corners, blazing heat; it felt like danger was always just one careless move away.
Everywhere you turned, there were safety signs:
“Hard Hat Required.”
“Danger: High Voltage.”
“Safety First.”
It wasn’t just for show. Safety was literally a matter of life and death. But once you understood how to operate in that space, once you respected the rules and the rhythms, you could move with a strange kind of freedom. You weren’t paralyzed by fear; you were grounded by wisdom.
Oddly enough, that factory floor taught me something foundational about spiritual safety.
R.E.S.T. Isn’t Just a Model. It’s a Lifeline
We talk a lot about the R.E.S.T. framework:
Retreat. Encouragement. Safety. Transformation.
It’s not accidental that Safety is smack in the middle.
You can’t retreat if you don’t feel safe.
You can’t receive encouragement if you’re constantly looking over your shoulder.
And transformation? It doesn’t happen in unhealthy fear. It happens in deep trust.
The same way you couldn’t survive a southern Indiana factory without safety awareness, you can’t walk freely with God unless you know you’re secure in His love.
What You Think About God Matters Deeply
A.W. Tozer said,
“What comes into your mind when you think about God is the most important thing about you.”
For years, my mental image of God was shaped not by Scripture but by a ceiling painting in my childhood church; a massive depiction of a bearded, stern-faced man meant to represent the Almighty.
But as a kid, looking up at that angry face, all I could think was:
“He knows.”
He knows my lies, my failings, my hidden sin, and He’s mad. Just look at His face!
So I hid. I put on a show. I performed.
I tried to be “good enough” to keep that angry God at a distance.
Unlearning the Angry God
Maybe that sounds silly to you, or maybe it hits close to home.
Maybe you grew up with a version of God who was always disappointed, always waiting to punish, always ready to withdraw love if you didn’t measure up.
That version of God?
It’s not real.
Let me say it plainly:
God is not mad at you.
He’s not angry.
He’s not waiting to crush you.
He is patient. He is kind. He is filled with grace and overflowing with mercy.
In fact, the Scriptures say that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He didn’t wait for you to clean yourself up. He came right into your mess–into your failure–to bring you home.
The God Who Keeps You Safe
This is the God who:
- Hides you in the cleft of the rock
- Holds you in the palm of His hand
- Surrounds you with refuge
- Offers you peace, even in your chaos
This is safety.
Not safety from every storm but safety in the storm.
Not a life without pain but a heart grounded in presence.
When you know you’re safe with God, you’re finally free to:
- Be honest about your struggles
- Confess your sin without fear of rejection
- Stop performing and start abiding
- Lead, serve, and love from a place of confidence
From Safety to Transformation
If your image of God still looks like that angry face on the ceiling, I want to invite you today:
Let it go.
Let the Holy Spirit reintroduce you to the true face of God, revealed in Jesus, the Son who came not to condemn the world, but to save it.
As you do, you’ll begin to feel the shift:
- From fear to intimacy
- From hiding to healing
- From striving to rest
You’ll experience safety. Real safety.
And from that place, transformation won’t be forced, it’ll be inevitable.
You Are Safe. You Are Seen. You Are Loved.
My friend, wherever you are today, hear this:
Nothing can separate you from the love of God.
Not your sin.
Not your past.
Not your fear.
God is not far off. He is near.
He’s not angry. He is inviting you home.
So take a moment.
Retreat.
Receive His encouragement.
Step into His safety.
And let Him transform you from the inside out.