Home Base

Did you ever play freeze tag as a kid? A frenzied flurry of little kids scattering in every direction. Arms pumping, legs stretching, all to outrun the pursuer and make it “home”. Even more exciting was a game of tag in an enclosed space, the options to flee are limited and it takes quick dodging to escape the outstretched arms of the tagger. Then you have the unfortunate few who are frozen and act as road blocks in your path of escape. Throw in a few taggers and you have an all out fight for survival. And yet when you make it to home base there is a sense of peace and relief. You still watch the flurry of activity out there in tag-dom but you are safe, you are secure at home.

Life can be like one big game of tag. Everyplace you go there are things seeking to freeze you, to stop you in your tracks and prevent you from reaching home. Others around you are frozen, stuck in their place by life and the craziness it throws at you. Yet home is where you want to be, home is where you feel safe.

I think about the craziness of life, all the things that try and slow us down, or become stumbling blocks to us, all the things that freeze us. These can cause us to fear, to think we will never reach home, we will never be at peace. And yet, we are home, we are safe, we are at peace. Because home is not a specific place we have to reach, it isn’t a safe zone we must cross over to. Home is in our hearts. We are already there. Peace is possible among the flurry of those seeking to freeze us. Safety is ours to claim in the moment, amongst the flurry.

I need to remember that, especially now. Peace, real peace, is possible in the midst of war. Safety, real safety, is there even when danger is at hand.

Perspective. I guess that is what determines if you end up being frozen.