Over the past couple of years my son and I have picked up on watching a show called Heartland. It’s a Canadian-based show set on a ranch in Alberta. The main character, Amy, is a sort of horse whisperer who is constantly rescuing, taming, and re-homing these magnificent creatures.
We’ve watched many people go in and out of the house, gather around the dinner table for meals, and move up and down the stairs of the two story ranch house and barn loft.
But for the first time in 13 seasons we finally got to see a side of the house that had been hidden among the beautiful landscape of the ranch; a storm shelter. As the storm blew in everyone at the ranch scurried down below, even the dog, as Amy closed those old wooden doors above.
A shelter has two primary functions; it eliminates and it embodies.
A shelter eliminates fear. Fear is real. And the goal of the shelter is to eliminate the fear. At the very least minimize the fear. The overwhelming sensation of an uncontrollable situation can wreak havoc on somebody’s mind and emotions. So the shelter helps fortify this thought; ‘fear, there’s no place for you here.’
While watching the Heartland episode I tried to put myself in their boots to feel what they were feeling, to consider doing what they were doing. What I saw was a family anxious and scared as they witnessed the storm moving across the plain in the distance. Winds stirring, debris blowing, fears trembling.
Fear often just looms over us holding us as a captive audience to some eventual demise. The fear leaves us feeling anxious or worried. Sometimes paralyzed. But the shelter has a way of pulling us in even closer to sway that fear to rest. Eliminating its once powerful effects.
A shelter eliminates noise. The world ‘out there’ can be really scary at times. Sometimes that causes us to fear. But other times it causes our adrenaline to start flowing as if we can take on that big mean world all by ourselves. The storm’s raging! And we storm out the doors to face it all on our own. Caught in the quandary of storm chaser or storm shelter!
Sometimes we can be enamored by the noise. Curious. Trying to brave the elements and peering through the foliage to see what’s on the other side. If we’re not careful we can find ourselves in a trap, lured away by some promiscuous sound.
What we need in the shelter is a sound barrier. A place to run and find a fortress from the worldly chatter going on around us. When the world weaves our lives into some comparison trap, gives us permission to harbor grudges, puffs up with pride, permits envy and jealousy and slander, it just becomes rubble in the waiting.
A shelter embodies security. A shelter, by its very definition, covers us. While watching the Heartland episode I considered how the shelter was beneath and within what many consider to be the strongest and most secure portion of the house; the foundation. How reassuring! The safest place to be in the middle of a storm is just a few steps around the house beneath its foundation.
Those who once considered themselves weak, worried, anxious, afraid, vulnerable, or lost now feel safe because of the security and permanence this shelter provides. Sleepless nights and moments holding your breath give way to the reassurance that you’re safer now that you’re encompassed by the foundation and shelter around you.
A shelter embodies provision. Not only is the shelter a protecter, it’s also a provider. A provider of peace. Of hope. Of confidence. Though the storm may surround you, it will not engulf you. It will not inflame you. It will not annihilate you. It will not rob you. The shelter has been established to provide everything you need in this moment of trial.
Our shelter becomes a fortress that provides rescue. A shield that provides a defense. A storehouse that provides for our daily need. The shelves of this fortress are stocked full. The table is prepared, the invitation sent, and the One who is our Shelter is awaiting our acceptance to sit and be filled.
Here’s the reality; we look for shelter in a lot of things that simply cannot provide what we hoped or wished they could. We seek refuge in so many areas that actually contribute to our sinking. We look for solace in people or places that are actually contributing to the noise we’re trying to turn down.
What is the answer? Psalm 46:1 says, “God is our shelter and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” To the person who’s searching for a hiding place, a refuge, a fortress, a shelter; look no further than the One who’s proven Himself time and again to be all we need for all who ask.
In the midst of uncertain days may we learn to set our gaze on a life centered in Christ. Amidst the noise and the fears surrounding our circumstances may we find the shelter of His love and grace and see that it’s more than enough.
Kortney Jones 
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