Some Place Beautiful

       This morning as I drove into work and was praying I found myself day dreaming as I prayed, I went back to my 'happy place' as a young tween before I got lost in the world. I went back to how it felt laying on top of a large hay bale, the summer sun warming me as I stared up into the blue sky and I let the quiet sounds of nature and the near by farm sink in. This was my prayer place, my special place to talk to God, and it was beautiful.
       Often when I pray I go back to that place in my mind. I go there because in that place I had peace, I was alone in God's presence and that's what made it so beautiful and special. It was my hiding place to escape the chaos of school, life, hormones, and my hoards of cousins. I could stay there and talk to God as long as I wanted, and usually I stayed there until I felt strong enough to go back and face everyone. Sometimes nothing was wrong, I just longed to be alone in His presence, and other times, everything was wrong and I needed His comfort.
       This morning as I prayed and I drifted back to the feelings of that peaceful place I realized that this place would not have been so peaceful or beautiful if it had not been the place I went to in search of His presence. I realized that it was God's presence that made this place so beautiful to me. I realized that it's God's presence now in my life that makes it beautiful, mostly I just realized how beautiful it is to be in the presence of the Father, to feel His spirit as you pray, to feel His comfort, correction, conviction, strength, forgiveness and love washing over and through you. I realized that the most beautiful place I could be was before my heavenly Father. 
          I started to wonder as I prayed and contemplated the beauty of His presence about how it will feel to be in heaven, how it will feel to be in God's presence all the time, because these moments of pure beauty and heavenly peace are but a glimpse of His true beauty. Moments like what I described  are fleeting, moments when we are able to reach out to Him and feel Him reaching out to us. I don't know if everyone can understand what I'm describing, if everyone has had these experiences or not, but I know for me that the presence of God is often very strong like this. I know that when I pray and go back to some place beautiful in my mind it's not really the place I am searching for, but God. Jesus is my some place beautiful, Jesus is my safe place, and He can be yours too if you give Him your all. Be blessed.

Psalm 27:4        
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple.

Psalm 50:2        
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.

2 Corinthians 3:18        
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

Philippians 4:8        
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.