Sanctuary

“The sound of the surf, the big washing machine of ocean, sometimes seems to rinse out my brain, or at any rate, it expands me and it slows me down.”

            Anne Lamott

The ocean is the sound of infinity, of healing, and refuge. I leave tomorrow to go to one of my favorite places. The conversations on the seawall with family and friends, the sun and sandcastles, the breeze, the shell collecting and laughter, the stars and sea turtles. It’s all beautiful and wonderful. We’ve stayed at the same place on the same beach for thirteen years. It feels like home. It is a sanctuary.

I wrote about it two years ago after I’d returned in a post called “Sanctuary”.

“Sanctuary”

It’s the place I’ve been healed, my marriage restored, and Truth revealed. There – I’ve learned to love more and judge less. There I think deeply, pray passionately, laugh wildly, and cry too. My sanctuary is a special place.

It’s more than a beach. It’s a safe place from all the noise and responsibilities. There I’m unhurried and patient. There I can read for hours. There, nothing demands my attention.

It’s been a little more than a week since I’ve returned from this mid-year refuge, where I meet friends again, stay barefoot most of the day, and let the roar of the ocean cleanse my soul. It’s the otherness of the place that makes me unusually open to God, His creation, His word and His people. God has touched me in significant ways in that place.

I came back refreshed and renewed. More than that…..mended. God took the broken pieces of my heart and mind, my soul splinters, and my ruined strength and put them back together. I refocused and I remembered. God is my sanctuary, my safe place. He is my Refuge.

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.

Psalm 91:2