Secret Places!

Have you ever had a SECRET PLACE where you went to get away, to recharge or simply to dream?  I’m not necessarily talking about a place where you were completely alone and/or hidden away from sight… but of a place that held special significance to you.  A place, possibly hidden-in-plain-sight… but a marked spot, unique in your personal experience, where you could go and be refreshed.

I can’t actually recall having too many of these places in my childhood… but once Piper and I got together in high school… we almost immediately started finding SECRET PLACES that were meaningful to us.  In high school, we would spend a good portion of our lunch period walking around campus but not before we went out to the field to our special SERCRET PLACE right out in the open, surrounded by probably half the school eating lunch, playing sports or goofing around.  It wasn’t private, but it was our spot where we would eat our lunch and simply enjoy each other’s company!

In Junior College we had a favorite Oak tree where we sat and enjoyed our lunch in nice weather or in inclement seasons, in the parking lot facing Mendocino Avenue in the front seat of my grandparent’s old 1951 Chevy which had been my daily driver since high school.  At Chico State we had a SECRET PLACE deep into wilds of Bidwell Park along the creek, where we’d go for weekend picnics and barbeques using our little hibachi grill!

Then after our marriage and with the growth of our family, we discovered new favorite SECRET PLACES for our family times together and for special moments alone with each other.  We never needed to go on fancy vacations or expensive restaurants to have an enjoyable time.  We lived a relatively short distance away from the Pacific Ocean and it never took much convincing for an adventure to our SECRET PLACES along the rugged cliffs and breathtaking views of Bodega Bay. 

We found our SECRET PLACES for extended vacations at Humboldt Redwoods State Park along the Avenue of the Giants in northern California or in the Sierra Nevada mountains near the Nevada border at Plumas Eureka State Park. 

We’d always find a favorite city park, not too far from (or in) the various neighborhoods we lived in over the years, where we’d go quite often each week for a fun time with the kids.  Back in the 1980’s Piper and I had discovered a little hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant in the Rincon Valley area of our home town, where we could enjoy a quiet table, a view of the creek flowing just outside the window and a steak and spaghetti dinner for $7.00!  Can’t get much better than that! 

As life got busier in the 1990’s with homeschooling, ministry and my job at Hewlett Packard, some of Piper’s and my best “quicky dates” consisted of a stop at the drive through window at our local Jack in the Box for burgers, drinks and fries for Piper and onion rings for me and then a quick drive up the Fountain Grove Parkway and into the far corner of the Yard Bird’s Home Improvement Store’s parking lot that looked over the city.  Once there, we’d park the Camaro, relax, enjoy the view, the meal… but most of all… the sweet company!

While attending Bible College out here in Oklahoma from 2006-2009 we sort of accidently came upon the back entrance to a Nature Reserve on one of our daily walks near our rental duplex.  It quickly became our SECRET PLACE where we found great peace and solace as we began all the initial testing with Piper’s changing needs.

In North Carolina, our SPECIAL PLACE was our beautiful home on an acre of property in the country, that backed up on two sides to forest lands!  That place was definitely a gift from God during a most difficult time in our lives.*

And now, I would have to say that Fiver’s and my SECRET PLACE is out in plain sight, walking through the backside of our neighborhood along the beautiful golf course just outside my front windows and the small community park and pond beyond.

I think that God gives each of us SECRET PLACES along the road of our lives where we can find times of peace, reflection and self-renewal… But I also believe that we have to be aware of and take… or maybe make… the time to take advantage of these SECRET PLACES and the benefits they add to our personal existence!

Psalm 91:1 informs us that,

“He that dwelleth in the SECRET PLACE of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” 

And this scripture is talking about YOU and Me folks!  God not also shows us specific SPECIAL PLACES of personal meaning and purposes within the activities of our daily lives, but He also provides a SECRET PLACE within Him where we can dwell, that affords us a level of rest and peace that may seem impossible to those who don’t know Him… or even those who believe in Him… but haven’t yet or don’t want to take the time to develop a strong and deeply personal relationship with Him through His Word.

The dwelling of His SECRET PLACE goes with us EVERYWHERE we go!  It doesn’t matter if we are caught up in rush hour traffic, in a crowed grocery store, at school, or enjoying a time of recreation with family and/or friends. 

His SECRET PLACE is a 24/7, 365 days a week position… and the more you get to know Him, the more of His peace, His love, His personal direction and His grace you will benefit from!  And with it… the greater awareness of and sensitivity to His constant presence in your life... in the midst of any situation and at any time of the day or night.

So… my suggestion?  Look for and find those SPECIAL PLACES that are most likely hidden in plain sight all around you, where you can retreat to for solace and recharging… but at the same time… take the time, to spend MORE time in fellowship with your heavenly Father through the reading and study of His Word!

I hope that you’re having a great week, and as you are… Keep EXPECTING God’s best in your life!

* I just talked to one of our neighbors from our North Carolina neighborhood yesterday... & there is a huge development going in behind our house and beyond!  It definitely was a SPECIAL PLACE for a specific time & need!