Sacred Spaces and Places

On our vacation this past July we traveled around the great state of Oregon.  Crater  Lake, Salem, and Brookings were all beautiful but we ended our epic journey with camping at Big Lagoon near Trinidad, California.
Big Lagoon is where Amy's family has gone for many years to escape the summer heat of Redding.  It is a place for family, peace, friendship, and renewal.

I was quickly introduced to the joy of Big Lagoon when we were newly married and since I have adopted the sacredness of yearly pilgrimage to this amazing spot near the ocean and Redwoods.
All our other stops along the way for vacation were amazing.  We made great memories, and enjoyed family.  We had big adventures and embraced the wonder of exploring new places.
When we arrived in familiar Big Lagoon I noticed my internal response was so different.  Not better or worse just different than our other stops.
 I immediately sensed calm, peace, and anticipation for connection with God, family and friends.
The smells and sights brought back past memories but also created anticipation for new memories to be made!

I have grown to believe that sacred spaces and places exist for those who have the hunger to identify them.  I think God loves to create in us awareness of His presence and alertness to His work in our hearts that can be triggered by sights and smells that are familiar to us.
I used to think that the magic of Big Lagoon was the persistent fog, the wild ocean, and the warm campfire but in reality the things that have made it sacred have been related to connectedness.   Huddled around the campfire sipping camp coffee with people I love and taking long walks along the beach where prayers seems to flow easy to heaven leave me feeling connected to both God and others in a way that is more profound than what I can find in my daily rhythms of life.
Repeating the campfires and walk along the beach year after year conditions my soul in such a way that when I see the driveway into the campground I begin to expect connectedness, prayer, and renewal.  The sights and smells create a sensitivity to Him that opens up my awareness and allows me to press in to hear Him and hope for new sacred moments.

I am reminded of Joshua 4 where Joshua builds a monument of stones with the people after crossing over the Jordan river.  This was a sacred space for them because it was a place where promise was fulfilled and a new season began.
Genesis 28 gives us the account of Jacob having an incredible encounter with God and a dream of promise.  His response is to actually name the place "Bethel".  Giving it a name identified this place as sacred.

Do you have a sacred place?  Is there a particular spot of inspiration for you where God has spoken or encountered you?  I would love to hear about it!