Sacred Place

We all have our place; our sacred place that we feel free to be vulnerable, open, and ourselves. In the shower. Running. Meditation. We all have that time where it's our God Time.

My God time is while I'm driving.

Lucky me, I just drove half way across the country from Blacksburg, VA to Trophy Club, TX this past week.

That's exactly 1,111.17 miles.

That is 17 hours. 1,020 minutes. All of this time with God and of course the best co-pilot ever, my dog Reesie.

It's funny to think that of all places to have my time with Him, it's in my car. On the open road. For me, sometimes when I am communicating with God it's very mental; a conversation that is full on just in my mind. Although, sometimes it's not mental and can be very much visible. That's besides the point though because the amount of people actually looking over into my car is slim to none.

It's really fascinating to me to learn about how other people connect with God and especially where they feel most connected. I remember Amy was asking me one time about when I feel closest to my faith.

All of the time. In everything I do.

Well, this is what I wanted to say because that is how a true and pure Christian would feel. Right?

Not particularly. 

I think that's what we build up in our minds to think but I think maybe God gives us those sacred places for a reason because He knows we all work differently and each of our unique and beautiful souls requires different settings for that certain connectedness.

My car is my sacred place. I may be reading into this a little much but maybe the car is my place because it's been a sacred place for me in other aspects of my life. My Dad used to be a truck driver; driving many miles for a living, which meant spending a lot of time in a vehicle (well, a truck) for his job. My Dad used to take my sister and me on some of his trips when we were younger. My Dad would tell me that when my 5 1/2 year old self would wake up in the morning, I would come sit in the front with him, tell him before any words could cross his lips that, "I need my wake up time before you talk to me". I think this started my time for reflection. I can probably only guess that the thoughts in my 5 1/2 year old mind were not the ones I have now but it all comes from the same concept I feel.

I have also had some of the best conversations with people in the car. My Dad first shared his faith with me about 2 years ago in the car, on a cold winter night, in a Walmart parking lot in Texas. I've had some of the most beautiful heart to hearts within the driver to passenger seat distance. A car just feels safe. The entrapment makes me feel like anything I say or hear, will forever just live within the seats and walls, never further from the door.

I tell God everything in my car. That 2005 navy Wrangler holds within it's plastic to glass windows the desires of my heart. It holds my fears and my aspirations. My heartbreaks and my heart on cloud nine. I can name more than two hands worth of times I have been driving in the car, connecting with God, and just releasing all of my emotions while on the open road.

With graduating college, moving far away from everything I know to be familiar, to becoming an adult (if that is actually a thing), I was lucky enough to start all of this off with 1,020 minutes with God.

Another reason why I feel the car is my place is because music is also my thing. Car time is always music time. I'm not musically talented....at all. Seriously. Side note though, I went out on a whim today and bought a Ukulele. I walked into Guitar Center, with my Dad, and told the guy upfront I have zero experience and 5 minutes later I was walking out with a Ukulele on my back, book in hand, and no clue what I had just gotten myself into.

Music connects me with God. I find him within the words of my favorite songs. I have a terrible singing voice but when the song is to celebrate Him, I find myself not caring to sing along, at the top of my lungs, well when I am by myself. Something on my bucket list was to not be afraid to "sing along". This can be applied to multiple things in my life. I can honestly say I'm an awkward person to drive with in a car if you like to sing. I admit it. I hate that part of myself because I want nothing more than to look at the person in the driver seat and bounce around and be that free spirit that is a contagious type of fun but my inner quiet child holds me back. So, if you've ever encountered this with me before, it's not that I don't like you or that I think you're weird. I love everyone and I'm weird. It's just that my courage is still building. I'll get there.

God blesses us with our sacred places. A place where we can truly feel His presence. Of course, I don't have a limit of connectedness to just my car; I feel Him in a lot of other places as well. My car, though, is just my holy ground. You may already know your sacred place but if you don't, I encourage you to seek it out. Ask God, He'll guide you.