WHAT DEFINES YOUR HAPPY PLACE?
The other day my husband and I were driving on I-75 going through Atlanta. With all the traffic, people cutting us off, the noise, the construction and chaos, I found myself getting all tensed up and frustration began setting in.
I definitely began praying and thinking about a place of peace and quiet (MY HAPPY PLACE). It made me think about how different it can be for each one of us…….
Childhood Memories
As a child, I grew up near the beach and have memories of walking in the woods, or walking down the beach by myself, just enjoying and daydreaming. Looking over the water of the Raritan Bay to see on the other side, glimpses of the Verrazano Bridge,( Staten Island, New York), thinking about the big world out there and wondering what my future was going to be like was my world.
At times I didn’t really feel like a city girl or even a country girl, I wasn’t sure where I fit? In all honesty, I am probably more of an introverted extrovert or Ambivert (Combination of both) Sometimes I love crowds and action, but at other times, just chilling solo.
As a recovering perfectionist, I would get so overwhelmed with chaos and noise and congestion. So for me, my happy place would be in solitude or with my hubby.
To me sitting in front of a fireplace, enjoying a coffee and listening to my favorite music is Heaven. Or as a girlie girl, a spa like environment with candles and bubble baths and massage is Heaven to me.
To some, you may thrive in the hustle and bustle and excitement of events and crowds and are a social butterfly and that is your HAPPY PLACE.
We were all created so uniquely and wired together differently. The Lord designed us for a certain purpose and calling. Our differences are what makes the world go around they say.
What if our world isn’t perfect?
The real challenge I find is what if our surroundings are not perfect or how we would envision them to be?? The struggle is, can we still be in a HAPPY PLACE when everything is all wrong?
It’s that internal PEACE OF THE LORD that is the key to finding peace in a storm or when everything we imagined is not working out like we hoped ..
It reminded me of a story I heard of a holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel and how in such horrific situations, his father being his main focus kept him alive.
Our Heavenly Father
It makes me reflect on how so much more when we focus on our HEAVENLY FATHER how His supernatural peace can keep us in total calm no matter what is going on around us.
1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.
Matthew 11:28-30
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Finding our Peace in Stuff or Temporary Things
As humans, we may try to find peace in temporal things or in things we can see, or feel, or touch. But it’s only the LORD’S PEACE that transcends above anything. It’s a true peace that never perishes or fades, or changes with the storms.
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid
As always, I want to encourage you, if you are going through a storm right now or if everything feels like it is overwhelming you, Let me reach out to you and share with you the ONE who has brought me a peace that cannot be explained away. When everything is in chaos, He is my peace. His name is Jesus. I will leave this simple prayer for you and encourage you to reach out to the ONE TRUE person who is reaching out His arms to you..
In His Love,
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