“There is a secret place set aside for each one of us. God is love and in His love He has set aside a place where you can live in Him no matter what. He loves to teach people where that place is, because when His children get into their secret place, they can fully enjoy life.” -Graham Cooke
There’s a little girl who giggles and sings and plays the day away to her heart's content. Not a care, not a worry, in her own world of imagination she dreams of wandering through enchanted forests where the light of the sun filters through the tall magnificent trees and the morning dew rests on its leaves. Tiny creatures of all kinds create melodies that speak to her heart and she breathes in the sweet fragrance of all that surrounds her. Encapsulated by an invisible shield of love, she feels peace. She feels joy. She feels safe and secure in this kingdom that is all her own.
Before I knew the Lord, He had already given me a piece of heaven. He had already provided a place for me in His presence, a secret place that was all our own. At the time, it was more like a fairy tale. It was a magical far away place in my mind that would prove later to be a precious place in my heart.
As I grew, adolescence brought up weeds that hindered my view of God and thorns that pierced my heart. A deep seeded need to be wanted drove me to work really hard to impress people. Following trends became more important than following truth. My attention to my outward appearance overshadowed any thought of my true identity. I buried unacceptable emotions and over the years I became mostly just a shell of a being. As an adult, I didn’t really know who I was. My heart and my emotions unattended to, left room for anxiety, fear and shame to take up residence. What was once a free passageway to a dreamy far off place, became a chained off area. I felt robbed of everything that ever meant anything to me. The emptiness overwhelmed me.
There is a very real enemy who comes to steal and kill and destroy. He lurks around, plays his tricks, and if we’re not aware, trains us into the opposite person of who we were meant to be. Incredibly sneaky, he comes often dressed in light, unsuspecting and unrelenting. He wants to take our minds hostage and keep us from being who we were created to be. He gets thrills out of taking our attention away from our creator and blinding us from our destiny. This attack has been so real for me.
The good news is that Jesus came so that we may have life and have it abundantly! (John 10:10) He came to rescue and redeem our souls from the mighty grip of the deceiver. He gives life to the most destitute and broken, empty and forgotten. He’ll revive any heart that comes after Him. In His intense love for His sheep, this Shepherd King laid down His life for our eternal freedom and a forever friendship.
Over the past few years, Jesus has been filling in all the blanks for me, renewing my mind and purifying my heart. Every part of me that was missing information, missing the truth about who God is and who I am, is being filled in. As I’ve been working at cleaning out the clutter of my heart and understanding how it got there, the weeds are thinning and my view of both God and myself is so much clearer and brighter. He is restoring my life into all the fullness that was intended for me.
On a recent trip to the Big Island of Hawaii I was walking through Pololu Valley. I ventured away from the ocean’s tide and walked deeper into the lush green forest. Something felt vaguely familiar. A soft breeze rustled the leaves and the sun peered through the clouds. A sense of bliss filled me from head to toe. Feeling in step with the Lord I kept walking. But I could see up ahead that the path was roped off. Marked “private property” I could go no further. The peaceful utopia beyond the rope was beckoning me, calling my name perhaps. Something was so special about it that it brought me to tears. I remember thinking that this was the most beautiful place I have ever been!
Weeks later while sitting with the Lord and longing for more of His presence, He touched my heart deeply. Listening to birds outside and reminiscing of that lovely place in Hawaii, the Lord met me there. “Come as a child,” he said. “I have a place for you to see.” And in a moment that took my breath away, I was standing in the place of my childhood dreams! Memories flooded back in and I was undone by His love for me. I was a little girl again, overcome by joy as I gazed at my surroundings and listened to their songs. “I’ve been with you since the beginning,” He said. “I saved this place for us, a secret place for you and me.”
As He stood there, I noticed the hem of His robe, moving softly with the slight breeze. With tears in my eyes I reached out to touch the “hem that could heal” but before I could, His hand was lifting my chin. “Look in my eyes, love,” He said. “I have a gift for you.”
I rose to my feet. He reached His hand to the sky and out flew a flock of doves. As they circled around there were fewer and fewer until there was only one. It was the one for me. The dove came and rested on my shoulder. I felt a sensation that filled me with confidence, security, wisdom, assurance, peace, truth and love. The Spirit of God rested on me, and for a time, enveloped in my secret place, all fear and anxiety faded away.
“I want you,” He says, “dressed in glory and splendor, your Bridegroom awaits. My eternal blanket of peace, comfort and freedom covers you safely and securely in the secret place of my love. The chains are gone. What was broken has been made whole. What was stolen has been brought to life, lit by the fire of truth. What was neglected has been tended to in a forever place of being wanted. In a forever place of knowing and being known. Rest in that knowing. Rise up in that knowing. It’s an embrace that you cannot escape, an embrace that tends to every wound–emotional, physical, and spiritual. You are worthy of wholeness. You are worthy of freedom. You are worthy of all my love and affection. Beloved, I am yours, and you are mine.”
