A ‘Happy Place’

Do you have a ‘happy place’?

A place where you feel at rest.  A place that you feel at home.  A place that you feel God’s still small voice?

Hopefully we each have a couple places like that. 

Hopefully somewhere in your house you have a place of retreat you can go meet God and pray. A quiet-time place you can go to when the going gets rough.  A place to rest, a place to hear God’s voice.

What about out and about?  Do you have a ‘happy’ place out and about?  Is there somewhere that God meets you and speaks to you at?  Is there somewhere that you feel at peace?

I just went to my ‘happy place’ last week.  As I sat there soaking it all in I thought, ‘Why is this my happy place?’  I learned something, through my answer to myself.

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In my happy place, I feel God speaking to me.

In my happy place, people are ‘real’ and I have permission to be real. 

In my happy place, I am pointed back to Christ.

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Do you have a place like that?  Do you have a place outside of your home that you hear God’s Word speaking to you?  Maybe it is church, maybe it is visiting a neighboring or out-of-state church.  Maybe it is someone else’s home.  Maybe it is a Marriage Conference or a Bible study group you are a part of.  Maybe you have a lot of these happy places.  If so, good for you!

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My happiest, happy place right now is a Christian Homeschool Convention.  Last year when I went I was so discouraged and so down.  God met me right there.  I believe I cried during every session I listened to.  He met me through words others said.  He spoke a balm of healing and encouragement in my needy soul. 

This year was different, yet not different.  I was still the same needy soul that saw tears still in most sessions; yet this time He spoke work rather than encouragement.  There are things I know He’s been wanting me to do better- and He spoke to me, giving me ideas of how He wants me to do it. He spoke to me; encouraging me to keep pressing on.  Keep trying to learn and grow in these areas.  If I look back at the sessions I went to, they summarize my life right now;  disconnecting from the Pinterest / Facebook /Internet world —— preschool at home — — consistent parenting—— FEAR.  Through the topics, through the words of others, through the ideas and tips from others God spoke to me.  The Bible verses that were quoted, the Bible verses referenced all again I heard God’s voice in it all.  I came home with work to do. 

In my happy place people are ‘Real‘.  We are all just moms trying to learn how to teach our kids better.  We are all in it together.  We are not perfect.  We are not trying to pretend to be perfect.  No fake masks.  Real.  Real concerns, real discouragements, real problems, real tears.  Yet there are also real solutions, real encouragements, real prayers offered, and real moms in the trenches with you.  (Note: I didn’t talk to everyone, there are probably a few no, no, alot of fake people walking around. There usually are some)

I was pointed back to God.  As I sat through the sessions, as I walked thru the vender hall, as I talked to people, I was pointed to God.  There were, of course, people trying to point you to their book as the solution, their curriculum has the only answer for your problems and their online course is the best.  (I think you will find that anywhere.)  Yet overlooking that, there were people that pointed me to Christ.  The speaker that said “Your worth is in Christ Alone!  Not in what you child does or what your friends’ child doesn’t do”    The vender that pointed me to Christ for help with consistent parenting rather than the behavior charts he was selling.  The other mom who shared what helped them in the learning to reading battle, encouraging me to ultimately choose what God wants.  FEAR, Jesus is the answer for our fears. 

In my happy place, I was pointed back to Christ.

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I wonder; do you have a ‘happy place’?  A place that that you can hear God speaking to you?  A place that you can be ‘real’?  A place that people point you back to Christ?

How do you create a place like this?  A place where women can be real.  A place where women can share their struggles, not complaining, just in a spirit of deep yearning and seeking.  How do you create an atmosphere that points people to Christ?

The Holy Spirit.  I know He is the one that provides this atmosphere.  Through prayer, a spirit of love, openness and honesty.  Surely there are more!  Surely there are some ways we as women, can encourage and nurture this type of ‘happy place’ for those around us. 

Leave a comment, when do you feel like you are in your ‘happy place’?  What are some things we can do to help create an atmosphere like this?  

Have a good week!  — Trudie

P.S. I need your tips, as we try to create this type of ‘happy place’ at a Fall Women’s Conference this October 😉