Secret Place

by

Pastor B.J. Knefley

Do you have a secret place, a place that you can be alone? It’s not that it’s actually secret but it’s your go to place when you want peace and quiet. For some oddly enough it’s the bathroom. For others it might just be a chair where they can curl up with a hot beverage and a book. I actually have a couple. In the house I have the basement, “Cave”. Although not finished, it is complete with a couch, comfortable chairs and a fireplace. Soft lighting sets it off into a quiet and cozy nook. I also have the Sunroom. It’s heated and filled with windows. Finally, on the hill behind my house is a swing. Even in the winter, I can find time to escape to that spot for quiet reflection and solitude. One of my granddaughters, after being out of breath from walking up the hill, asked me why I had put the swing so far up the hill. I replied that it keeps people away, she replied, “It works”.

The reality is we all need a quiet place to reflect and think. We need alone time, or down time as some call it. It’s healthy and rejuvenating at the same time. It’s a place to destress. Hopefully it’s a place that others will let you be without interruption. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes there’s a Martha in our lives. If you’re not familiar with Mary and Martha, you can read about them in Luke 10:38-42. The Martha’s in our life believe that “idle hands are the devil’s workshop”. In other words, you should be doing something other than sitting around. Growing up it might have been said like this, “If you can’t find something to do I’ll find something for you”. Sadly, there are many who feel guilty for taking down time. They feel that they need to be doing something and if they’re not then somehow that makes them bad or less valuable. 

Even though I have my secret places I still struggle with being idle for too long. Consequently, I really don’t rest. But if I’m going to live like Jesus lived then I need to learn to be okay with solitude. I don’t need to be busy all the time and even though I can hear the voice of my father telling me that he’ll find something for me to do, I have to remember that being quiet is okay. Quieting the accusing voice isn’t that easy is it? Thank about it.