It's a cool Missouri evening. This is unusual for us in July, so I want to take full advantage. With my bucket hat upon my head, I grab my pen and paper and pop a seat on the front steps of our deck.
I'm taking in everything around me. What is it that You, want me to see, Lord? I spy four bunnies feasting on greens in our garden. A mixture of multi-colored cows graze in the pasture across from us. I hear a tractor near by cutting hay for the winter feed.
Our trees are alive with a variety of birds. I know of two nests. One in back under our deck. This momma bird is a smart one to place her nest so perfectly protective. Five baby birds feed throughout the day as momma and daddy take turns. I expect to see an empty nest any day now as they are getting bigger than the nest. This is the second nest of babes for this momma and daddy. Maybe a third will grace our summer.
Another is in the front, perched under the leaves so tenderly in our Red-bud tree. A tiny baby wren waits as momma and daddy take turns going from nest to flight catching insects in midair.
A light rain just passed over. I can still smell it's arrival of freshness. Everything seems to take a big drink, including me. I close my eyes and take it all in. Such peace after a shower. Cicadas are awakening for the evening choir meeting. I can hear a hummingbird visiting our Mimosa tree.
As the breeze blows my hair I know that this is my sanctuary. Not just the place. Yes, Lord, I hear You. It's more than that. It's the beauty that captures my senses and takes me straight to God, our Creator of all beauty. A moment of thanksgiving serenity.
Frogs are singing in the sweetness of the evening. Robins are tugging at worms. I look up as I hear a plane go overhead. I find myself pondering where the people on-board are headed. Are they flying away from sadness to find a place of peace or could they be flying home to unexpected news? Maybe it's a vacation destination away from the hustle and bustle of life.
The tractor slows to a crawl. Will the farmer go home to a happy evening or will he sit with his wife at the kitchen table covered in unpaid bills? Do you ever wonder about those around us? Just how they spend their evenings? Oh, the peace we all seek.
As the world around me is topsy turvy, upside down and wrong-side out, this right here is my sanctuary. I feel God testify to me just how real and present He is in my life. He's in everything beauty around me. I have no idea what tomorrow will bring, but what I know for sure is that the God who created all of this beauty around me is in total control. No matter what, He is here and present, never leaving the daughter He loves. I ponder all He has given me. All to take in and explore how mighty He is. If God can do all this and provide for the smallest of creatures, how much more is He going to do for me?
We can lose sight of that at times. Our sanctuary is invaded, our faith is shaken, and we lose sight of what we know for sure. Satan blankets us with doubt and there goes our sanctuary. Where is your sanctuary? We all need that place we can go to experience the extraordinary of God.
Life can beat us up so badly that we think there can never be peace found. So much can go wrong in a day. So much hurting around us. Often it's almost too much. I'm learning that peace isn't found in the perfect of the day when all is good and right. No, it's found in the midst of the storm. It's that God-spot that can only be found when trust and belief meet.
Don't lose hope, my friend. Keep hope alive in your sanctuary. Pretty soon your sanctuary isn't just a place you go to escape. It becomes something you take with you every place you go.
"Don't you yourselves know that you are God's sanctuary and that the Spirit of God lives in you?"
1 Corinthians 3:16
"Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with god through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Romans 5:1
"And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:7
