There are places you go when you need to feel right with yourself again.

Sometimes, I drive to my favorite coffee shop, order my coffee black with a shot of hazelnut.  I’d brush away the crumbs leftover from the last occupant at the table next to the window, plug in my laptop, and let my thoughts flow out into the keys.

Then, there are other times, when even the cafe is too crowded for over-packed thoughts.  I like to go where it chills. I escape to the mountains that make shadows, walk where the ground crunches and the bottom of my jeans get damp from stepping through the grass.

I go to my favorite outdoor retreat.  Just a short drive, with the road rolling beneath me, I’m already halfway there, zoning out.

It is there, from the time I step out of the car, I anticipate. I expect to find and return to an internal Eden. 

When you think of the Garden of Eden, what do you see?

Quick.  Tell me.

For me, the Garden of Eden is where everything is as it should be.  Where I am free to be, as I was originally designed.

I see myself smiling, laughing, free to eat whatever is around me.  I am focused on everything God has placed within my reach.  There is companionship and good company.

This past month, as I’m sifting through my thoughts on what God might have me focus on, He has impressed Eden on my heart.

Eden floated into my thoughts, as I walked through a favorite hike a few weeks ago, during my New Year whitespace.

I did a brain dump with God, unloading anything and everything collected from the previous year. I realized the wide set of wishes and desires collided with a finite amount of time and energy.  There was no way I’d be able to pursue everything I wanted, and still have enough space to veg and feel the air breathe.

How was I going to figure out how much to give?

Return To Eden

Walking through nature’s garden, I knew the answer.

I will choose whatever, and as much of it, that will help me return to Eden — where I am, as God had made me to be.

Before the fall of insecurities… I will attempt new beginnings, confident as one favored by God.

Before the fear entered… I am charting a new course, trusting the results are the You-ordained.

Before the distance separated… I choose people over productivity, whenever I meet that fork of two choices.

I breathe in Eden.

Walking through January bareness, I visibly see the things I want to guide me on my journey this year:  beauty, quiet, and rest in tranquility.

I want these more than my dreams.

With aspirations hanging in mid-air and the pace of life, ready to speed up like a fast action camera, we can retreat to God’s Kingdom, within the garden of our souls.

The world we live in wants to fool us into the curse of not-enough.

But, we have a Voice of One who designed us.  And we have the power to make the choice to journey to Eden — or not — today.

Our lives will never be truly perfect this side of heaven. But, God has created a piece of Eden — which in Hebrew, means “pleasure” — in each of us.

Like a homing device, the echos of beauty and belonging point our feet to return to Him. Each time we believe this and allow Him to change us, we experience heaven.

What does Eden mean to you?

What does heaven-in-you spell for you today?

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