I am so blessed to live in what Tennesseans call a holler.  A holler is a valley totally surrounded by hills.  Normally there is only one or two roads in and out of a holler.  Ever since we discovered this holler I have felt it was a very special place.  When I would drive home at night on the single road coming in, peace would fall over me.  The hills would just surround me and I could feel the safety fall upon me.  It was if time just would stop and say rest, this is God’s country that you are in.  I have found that the holler is a true sanctuary of God.  God’s sanctuary does not have to be something as big as a holler!  It could be a bench in a park near the city, a chair in a quiet spot of the yard, or a big soft throw in a corner of your home.  Your special spot may not be a holler, but wherever it is this week, find it and find peace in your sanctuary!

Sanctuary In The Holler

It is here in the holler that I pray.

When the night has become calm.

The only sound that can be heard are all the breaths of sleep.

God lays His finger on our heads to rest.

 

I speak to Him from my heart.

He can read my soul when the soft dark covers the holler.

Thank You for a time to rest.

And for a time to talk with You.

 

It is here that I can pray for peace in this world.

Safely in the holler, I can confess my sins and not be judged.

I can ask for blessings on me and my loved ones.

At this soothing time, I can especially ask for healing!

 

The holler soaks in all your troubles.

And it allows me to be me.

When I am myself, I can hear You speak to me clearly.

I can understand my purpose.

 

The holler always accepts me.

The trees lining the road to its heart.

Encircle me for protection.

The waters from the holler’s spring provide me with hope.

 

God’s hope is given by the sunrise in the holler.

His presence is in the colors of the sunset.

I know I am not alone in the holler,

Because God provides me with neighbors, deer, squirrels, bunnies, and birds.

 

The holler’s mist lays thick across the fields.

Providing moisture to the grasses.

It is here that I can feel the dew against my face.

And know that this is God’s touch upon me.

 

In the holler, on a clear night,

I can hear all the voices that You speak.

The sky is clearer in the holler.

Where God spells out his creations in the sky.

 

Here in the holler I came to shout and sing.

My voice echoes amongst the trees.

The holler whispers back a sweet sound.

A sound that settles my mind.

 

It is here in the holler that I praise.

When the day is sunny and warm.

The only sight that can be seen is the face of God.

The holler is God’s sanctuary on Earth.

Lori Rennae Hickman Chapman

Seek out God’s sanctuary this week.  Wherever that might be for you.  It is there that you can calm your life, settle your soul, and find love.  If we are to love people, we must sanctify ourselves and love ourselves first.  What better place than one of the many sanctuaries of God!

Love,

Rennae

 

 

 

Blessings