Shelter is a basic structure or building that provides cover

shel·ter (shltr)
n.
1.
a. Something that provides cover or protection, as from the weather.
b. A refuge; a haven.
c. An establishment that provides temporary housing for homeless people.
2. The state of being covered or protected.


Synonyms:

protector
sanctuary
safeguard
dwelling
guardian
preserve
retreat, asylum, sanctuary, shield, haven, harbor, cover, harbor, house, guard, safeguard, shield, defend.

Shelter n. - 1. something beneath, behind, or within which a person, animal, or thing is protected from storms, missiles, adverse conditions, etc.; refuge.

I have been thinking about shelter for awhile now ... At some point last year our pastor talked about the prophet who was hidden in the cleft of the rock ... how he was sheltered, but probably afraid. I am thinking about actual shelter ... like a house or a hut ... or a quilt. I am thinking about how shelter makes us feel ... the comfort that comes with feeling protected. I am thinking about the shelter that significant relationships might provide ... a haven or a sanctuary ... and how it feels to be exposed. Safe and not safe.

I'm thinking about protected and not protected. How we may look to others for protection ... how we might protect ourselves.

I know that exposure to the elements creates different veneers then protection from would create.

Some people think they should take care of themselves. Those same people are frequently the people looking out for other people. Some people expect to be cared for or sheltered.

The idea of shelter is so basic.

In the garden after sin entered, the people knew they were "uncovered" ... in need of protection. When I lay out on the trampoline at night I feel so small ... and vulnerable. Most nights I am inside ... I don't even think about how fragile everything possibly really is when I am inside near the warmth of the fire ... safe.

How would that feel to know nothing other then shelter? Never blown about or burned ... no frame of reference for being vulnerable or exposed. Fear would be absent ... no need for fear within the safety of that kind of shelter.

Somewhere in the Bible I have read about how a hen gathers her little chicks up to the safety of her wings. Sometimes I think about how it would feel to not live in houses ... or within shelters. Not like homeless people, more like birds or any wild animals ... they instinctually seek shelter, or devise their own. And shelter is not just a structure ... it is intangibles like how I feel about myself. And like ideas that I believe are true ... I shelter there. Family is shelter, isn't it? There is a lot to the idea of shelter. We need to feel safe with some of our each others.

God has a lot to say about shelter. I'm thinking about that a lot now.