Welcome to another week of life! As Carmen (my wife) and I are working on our vacation rental house, God brought this to mind. The thought of our place being a place of refuge, safety, shelter, and a time to renew and refresh. That’s its purpose.
Renovating From the Inside Out
Yes, we are neck-deep in the renovation of our new investment. We love DIY (Do It Yourself) projects. Though I am finding it tougher to endure at my age, haha.
Carmen has honed in on a name for our place, with it possibly being Chateau Mariposa – give us your thoughts in the comment section below. A Chateau is a country house or manor, many times named “The Valley of the Kings” due to former residents based out of Europe.
Butterflies – A Place of Refuge?
And this is a story all in itself, but Mariposa is something special to Carmen from a very fun story. Mariposa, from Spanish, butterfly, came from María (Mary – the Virgin Mary) along with the Spanish word posar to alight, from Late Latin pausare which means to stop or rest.
Putting all of this together makes our place a place from God, more than I can state here. A city of refuge. A place where people can feel like Kings and Queens while re-energizing and being refreshed.
Oh, and the butterfly part at Chateau Mariposa? Lot’s of butterflies here of all shapes, colors, and sizes at various times of the year.
Psalm 27:4-5 MSG
I’m asking God for one thing, only one thing: To live with him in his house my whole life long. I’ll contemplate his beauty; I’ll study at his feet. That’s the only quiet, secure place in a noisy world, The perfect getaway, far from the buzz of traffic.
The Presence of God – A City of Refuge!
Our prayer is that travelers from all over the world who choose to stay at Chateau Mariposa will experience the presence of God. Those who stay will experience safety. Safety from any dangers or troubles from a tumultuous world.
Psalm 91:1-4 NIV
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You – A Place of Refuge?
Did you know that you are a city of refuge? Or are you? That’s the question. I have always looked at it this way…
Are you an energizer or are you a drainer?
Energizers! Those are the people that when you see them, you feel drawn to them. You feel lifted just from being around them. They are a safe tower to run unto. A city of refuge.
Proverbs 18:10 AMP
The name of the Lord is a strong tower;
The righteous runs to it and is safe and set on high [far above evil].
You know the drainers, right? Drainers are those that even when you see them coming, even before they get to you, you feel the energy being sucked out of you. You feel drained. And many times, you even try to find a way of escape!
So what are you? Are you a safe person, an energizer? Or are you a drainer?
Which One Are You?
When people see you coming do they run and hide? Do they walk away after connecting with you feeling worse off than before they saw you?
Or when others connect with you do they walk away with a skip in their step? Do they feel lifted up?
This is the presence of God – being lifted up. And let me emphasize that this isn’t something (His presence) that you have to call down from Heaven. It’s not something you have to plead to God to rain down on you. There is no begging, pleading, or crying out – not for the believer! You, in your everyday life, as you are walking around doing your everyday thing, are in the presence of and walking with Jesus Himself!
Challenge of the Week
If you are not in a place to be a place of refuge to others, then your challenge is to get yourself recentered in the presence of God. Time to renovate from the inside out!
Once that is done, it is time for you to become a safe place for others to run unto. I pray that God will bring those across your path this week. That they would find times of refreshing and be lifted by God’s presence in your everyday-walking-around-kind-of-life. So be it!
Podcast Update:
In next week’s post, you will see the first link for our Your Everyday Life Podcast teaser! From there, you will see the weekly links to watch or listen to the podcast with guests sharing about what their everyday life with Jesus looks like. Stay tuned!
Lou Hirschauer says
I can’t wait for next week to listen to you and Carmen, so excited for this to be happening, happy for the two of you that is going to happen.
I love the name of your refuge, where is this located at? Hope you take pictures of your refuge when it is completed, would love to see it.
You always brighten my day when I read your post.
Please tell Carmen hello for me.
Thanks
Scott Ramsey says
Sweet Lou, thanks for your kind words. Yes, we are posting our teaser/preview for our podcast this Monday. We are so excited. You always brighten my day with your replies and kind words Lou. My prayers are always with you, including with this comment. -Scott