A secret place

When I was a youngster we lived very close to a small park. I think that many years before it was the very large garden of a big house.
 
However, in this park were a couple of swings, a slide for smaller children and a large green area which gave us space for a make-shift football game or cricket match, in those days three sticks stuck in the ground for stumps, an old tennis ball and the bat a shaped piece of wood. I have fond memories of some great ‘matches’ played.
 
But this park also seemed to be the planting area for the local Council to grow plants and flowers, so in the spring and summer there were hundreds of colourful plants in neat rows. At the back of one of these large flower beds was a very old wall with a wooden door in it, just like the picture above. Well, as I got older and more inquisitive I ventured to the door and found that it was unlocked and I was able to go through.
 
Unbelievably I found myself in a secret garden with a large pond full of fish and there were old crumbly walls covered in various plants and ivy of every colour imaginable. But what struck me at the time was the peace and safety I felt, it seemed so far away from the normal run of life. After that I went there quite often to be still, reflect and just feel secure, quiet and at peace.
 
There are many verses in the Bible (God’s breathed-on Word to us) that tell of a place of refuge. Read again Psalm 46, Psalm 71:3, Psalm 32:7 or Psalm 31:19-20. I always feel comforted by the verse that says, “We can find shelter in the shadow of His wing”. When the down moments come, go to a secret place and be sheltered by Almighty God, who loves you.