Finding Sanctuary Outside of the Sanctuary

How do you respond to bad news?

When tragedy happens, what do you do? What words do you say when someone tells you they saw the person who assaulted them? What do you do when your partner is experiencing intense depression and you can’t help them? Or when your friend’s parent has less than a year to live? What do we do when life is just too heavy?

What do we do when our people are hurting?

People respond in different ways. What is miraculous is how quickly individuals come together in crisis. While it’s unfortunate that it often takes a tragedy for a community to form, there is power in the compassion that everyone has in that unity. There is power in sanctuary.

When we hear the word “sanctuary,” many of us think of the room with wooden benches and stained glass windows in a church, or a nature sanctuary.

sancŸtuŸary \ˈsaŋ(k)-chə-wer-ē\

noun

a place where someone or something is protected or given shelter

the protection that is provided by a safe place

the room inside a church, synagogue, etc., where religious services are held

(Merriam-Webster)

What about sanctuary in people? Think beyond the cinder block walls of worship communities. The buildings would have little meaning if it weren’t for those who fill them. There is sacredness when friends and family members come together, forming a space for those who are hurting to be filled with healing.

When I think about finding safety in community when trauma happens, I also think back to the conversations about how church is changing. What is church when we really get down to it? Looking beyond the building walls, it’s that community of people coming together to provide safety, comfort, shelter, and support.

Recently, I’ve taken to going on walks with a friend of mine. There’s sanctuary in being able to spew out words to another person and not feel judged. That feeling of having another person next to you along your path, literal or figurative, is a motivation and a comfort as you push through the sludge of life.

Can walking outside be a form of church? That’s what church is about, right? Being with another person, or people, as you experience something that’s bigger than yourself. I like to think that church doesn’t just happen in a sanctuary; the feeling of sanctuary can be found in many places, or people. Walking outside, or sitting in church, alone or with someone else, there are multiple ways to feel sanctuary and comfort.