Abraham pitched his tent near the Great trees of Mamre. He didn’t just think about a special time when he felt close to God, instead, he literally drove his stakes down into the ground to stay a while.
Sometimes in life, I feel like I am breathlessly running from one place to the next; one thing to the next. I can quickly lose my bearings and sense of purpose. So many times I feel inundated with a subversive desire to pursue anything except God; clothes, gadgets, a better life, the hippest restaurant, cars, coffees, computers… I am exhausted just thinking of the things that seem to direct my life. However, it is not all about things… there are also noble pursuits like my health, my kids’ sports, music lessons, school projects, volunteering at little league, and many other wonderful things. It feels so disheartening that sometimes I barely have space at the end of the day to even notice God.How do I pitch a tent in the presence of God in the midst of such a busy life?
Abraham had pitched a tent by the trees of Mamre because it was a special place where he had built an altar to the Lord and had heard from God. Pitching his tent there tells me that he wanted to be near God… perhaps there was more of an openness to God or a desire to connect with God.
That’s where it begins for me… noticing the desire… being still long enough to become aware of what my soul is really longing for… and then tending that desire. When was I last aware of God’s presence in my life? Is there a sacred space in my life that I can drive my stakes down deep and stay a while?