“And after He had taken leave of them, He went up on the mountain to pray.”
— Mark 6:46
I know exactly the area to which this Scripture verse is referring. It’s right below the Mount of Beatitudes and overlooks the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. I came across the cave pictured here during one of my Holy Land pilgrimages. Tradition says it is the spot, or at least close to the area where Jesus would get away by Himself to pray and reflect. This was His refuge from the crowds and the world, where He found peace and renewed His strength. We also read about this same location in the Gospel of St. Matthew.
“And when He had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, He was there alone.”
— Matthew 14:23
I guess in modern day language we might say this was a happy place for the Lord. And if the King of Kings, while He walked on this earth, felt it necessary to break away to that special hideaway, shouldn’t we, who are called to be more like Him, do our best to find and seek solace in our own “happy place”?
In this week’s T’s Teatime vlog, we’re back on lovely Mackinac Island, where I share my idea of the happiest of places, anywhere by the water. As you can see, being in Michigan, we’re quite blessed to have not only the Great Lakes, pictured here, but aqua just about everywhere. In addition to Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior, my home state of Michigan has close to 27 thousand inland lakes and at least 120 rivers. Oh, and did I mention the state also boasts some 3,300 miles of shoreline? I am blessed that my happy place is never too far away.
My hope for you is that you will think about the places that are near and dear to your heart; the places that help you slow down and appreciate God’s goodness, despite what’s going on in the world.
Summer, my favorite season of all, is slipping by far too quickly. Even though the upcoming fall season looks and feels quite different due to COVID-19, the changes and adjustments could be causing us to be perhaps even busier than we were before the virus hit. So, before you get back into the swing of activities, rediscover your happy place, grab that cup of tea and do your best to visit it often, even if it is only for a few minutes.
“Be still and know that I am God.”
— Psalm 46:10
Photo credits:
Eremos Cave, Galilee, Israel; Screenshot from Eremos Topos: Your Secret Place, Courtesy Ascension Press; and Dominick Pastore
