THIN PLACES

‘Thin places’—it was a new-to-me term that I recently heard and found interesting. It is a concept in Celtic Christian spirituality, with one explanation of it being a time where the space between heaven and earth grows thin and we encounter the sacred. It is like the veil is lifted between them, and we see with our hearts God’s divine orchestrations. We can also view ‘thin places’ as moments of grace that renew us.

 

I love the truth of that quote that I totally agree with. I have gratitude for experiencing a few ‘thin places’ myself this past week. When I see God at work, it strengthens my faith even more and reminds me how much He loves me and us all.

 

Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.  There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”  –Genesis 28:10-17  (NIV)

It seems that Jacob’s dream bears some credibility to knowing that heaven and earth do meet even in our humanity. God walks with us, watches over us, and wants only the best for us. This dream brought Jacob to the awareness to look for and see how God is always with us. He, too, rejoices in God’s goodness.

 

This past weekend included a two-day celebration with different friends to honor the heavenly birthday of a friend who died almost two years ago. A few friends and I went to coffee rather than stay at a luncheon at church. After coffee, I saw that the church celebration was wrapping up, but I was able to grab some food. As I was eating, a lady I had never met came up to me and asked if I was an author. It began a beautiful conversation as she shared how meaningful the book of mine she was given has been to her. I couldn’t help but give her a hug and let her know how that encouraged me. Hearing this lady share how God is using the book for His glory was a ‘thin place’ for me—seeing how God inspired me to go back to the place and how He orchestrated that encounter. I proceeded to stay helping put things away, as I enjoy being able to help out in the little ways like that—just seeing a need and jumping in to help.

 

 

After the events of the weekend, I then went to the cemetery where my friend is buried. Ironically, I stopped the night before, but the gates were locked for the day. This day I was there about five minutes before a truck pulled up nearby and a gentleman came to the same spot I was. What are the chances two of us were there for the same person at the same time—all because of God’s providence? I was curious to find out his connection, so what a beautiful ‘thin place’ it was sharing our stories of knowing this man and the impact he had on our lives. Since my story with the deceased person was related to him wanting to meet me after seeing an article in the church newsletter about my first book, I meekly asked this man if he would be interested in a book. He enthusiastically said yes and picked one out. It made me smile as our deceased friend was a big promoter of my books sharing them with others. This moment in time did indeed seem, almost literally, like heaven and earth met!

Be encouraged this week to…

… see what beautiful ‘thin places’ God orchestrates.

… be open to seeking new places to experience God’s presence.

… reflect on what places are ‘thin places’ for you.

… share how God is shining through in your life.

 

REFLECTION:

What ‘thin places’ do you frequent?
What is the last ‘thin place’ event you experienced?

 

Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”  –John 14:23  (NIV)