When my two brothers and I were young, we would gather blankets, pillows, and cushions in our front room and build elaborate forts. My kids, not so much. But it was a weekly, if not monthly, ritual for us boys. Once constructed and secured, blankets tucked into the sofa, cushions stood up as barriers, we would take refuge inside. Sometimes we played imaginary games, but mostly just enjoyed the experience.

You probably built forts as a child. Remember the joy of a refrigerator box? It was an absolute gold mine of discovery. With just a few windows cut out and some duct tape for a door, it was an instant fortress! The building of forts is a universal childhood practice that researchers have become intrigued by. Carol Stock Kranowitz, author of “The Out of Sync Child”, says, “Forts help children reset their stressed bodies and brains. The darkness inside the fort eliminates the stimulus they do not need and intensifies what they do need….physical comfort and solitude, safety and control. We seek out comfort. We need to restore order.”

Simply put, it’s a way of making their world smaller for a while. Children are mystics by nature. By mystic, I mean a person who seeks direct and personal experience of the Divine. They don’t need to understand global weather patterns to appreciate a starry moonlit night. They don’t need to know the brain science behind their parents' love for them, they simply feel safe being loved..and yes, those forts aren’t actually fortresses; they collapse rather easily. But the little mystic within experiences a level of comfort and assurance that I think most adults crave.

Everyone needs a place to feel safe! Everyone needs a place to go and tuck in, where the world can feel small again, or at least shut out for the time being. It might be good to pause and reflect: What is your current safe place in the world? Where do you go for refuge, not only physically but emotionally, psychologically, and Spiritually?

We can be situated securely in Jesus Christ and God our Father, not merely as a symbol or a metaphor, but in reality! As the French mystic Jeanne Guyon assures us: “I have found it easy to obtain the presence of God. God desires to be more present to us than we desire to seek Him. He desires to give Himself to us far more readily than we desire to receive Him. This is easier and more natural than breathing!”

Easier than breathing! Wouldn’t that be lovely? The experience of God’s refuge and presence is entirely available to us all. We must learn the practice of seeking Jesus as our refuge. The times today are every bit as challenging as they have ever been. If you can suspend your disappointment, skepticism, and fear for even a moment and allow your heart to turn towards Jesus, run toward Him, you can experience refuge in Him!

Let’s pray:

Jesus- I desperately need refuge. Bring me into Your refuge, LORD. Be my shield and strong tower. Be my safe place. I turn to you, I run to you. Be my refuge, LORD. Surround me with your presence and keep me. Holy Spirit, awaken my capacity to know and experience God. Awaken my ability to see and hear in the Kingdom of God. Cover me with your grace, mercy, and forgiveness, and keep until life everlasting. Amen