On my way into Fushe Kruja today I had to wait for the fugon at Zogu I Zi for about 20 minutes. It was there that a very simple fact occurred to me. For the equivalent of 9 cents I had gone into a bakery and gotten a roll about the size an uninstalled car radio. I was eating the roll while standing on the sidewalk outside, looking down the street, and I felt completely at home. I was not aware of anxiety at any level. As people passed by, looking at me looking back at them, I knew I belonged there. I knew comfort in an almost disorienting way. Before today I had never felt that way about being anywhere but my family home or the city of Seattle.
And so, what I realized at that time was that being somewhere, be it physically, spiritually or mentally, builds comfort into that space; a comfort which might be deceiving in many ways. Not all things we grow accustomed to are good for us, and not all of our “safe” places are “healthy” places. It is important to trace your footsteps back to where you started when you find yourself seeking the shelter of a “comfortable” place.
I also realized that our familiarity with a place will, by its very nature, make it feel safe, comfortable, and healthy. There is no safer place in the universe than in relationship with Jesus Christ. There, even death has no power. For this reason it is incumbent on church-going Christians to create an atmosphere which allows for and encourages people to explore, camp and finally settle within Christian places, community and psyche. Every part of us should be an invitation for others to have rest, to take refuge, to be, and to be with God.
albaniacalling 