When Julie was three or four, she talked me into playing house with her once.
She dubbed me "the mommy" and herself "the little girl." As soon as we started playing, "the little girl" made a dramatic character change and became "the bad little girl." "The mommy" corrected the "little bad little girl" but "the bad little girl" always found another way to be "bad." After three times of dealing with "the bad little girl," "the mommy" quit. Julie said, "But Mama, I'm not really bad, I was just pretending to be bad." Yeah, well, her Fantasy Island was my NIghtmare on Elm Street. Real life with my sweet child was better than the pretend world in which she wanted to see what it felt like to be "bad."
People can be creative when they want to escape reality. The phrase "go to your happy place" refers to the idea of avoiding unpleasant or painful situations by mentally retreating into a self-created world filled with what makes us feel most happy and peaceful.
Does your "happy place" include other people or time alone? If you picture people there with you, are they talking or quiet? Do you visualize yourself doing something you enjoy or doing nothing, with nothing expected? Whether in the mountains or at the beach, our happy places are like rainbow covered soap bubbles floating by to take our minds off the stress and pain of the moment and people who chase rainbows and bubbles discover only disappointment.
God's Word gives us something better than a jedi mind trick, temporary escape or happy place. He promises us His Peace to carry us through our realities. He offers us the outlet and release of prayer. He is a Guard, an Insulator of our hearts and minds Who captures and deals with our self-destructive habits of people-pleasing and wringing our hands. He nourishes us with Living Water and the Bread of Life so we can offer others something real in place of platitudes and leftovers. Sure, we all need the occasional change of pace, some new scenery, revival, and refreshment but if we're constantly trying to escape, we haven't let God into our reality.
Prince of Peace, our Resting Place, Guardian of our minds and hearts, help us release our reality into Your Hands. Flow through us, Living Water, and wash away the coping habits we've acquired that only postpone or deny our need to depend on You. Take away our props, crutches, and pacifiers so we learn to depend on You alone. Put Your song in our hearts and make Your reality our reality. Teach us to access the transcendent Peace You've promised us. Remind us to keep the prayer line open all day as we present our requests to You. We're grateful You've provided Truth that's better than anything we can conjure or create.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
"Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of Living Water will flow from within him." John 7:38
"Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:18-20
Sometimes, at the dentist for instance, I imagine I'm at the beach. You're right, it would be better to pray!
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