The Jesus Seat

I often wonder if a hammock returns me to the primal sense of being in a cradle. It feels so comforting and good. The gentle swinging, the feeling of canvas tight to my body, perhaps may return feelings even earlier than birth. So, my favourite place to sit in the garden to pray and talk to Jesus is in my hammock, swinging seat. I call it my ‘Jesus’ seat.

The sun dapples through the spreading tree above and the light slides across my Bible in slices of brightness and shade. From here I can almost hear the bean seeds pushing through the dirt. They grow so fast that they remind me of the ‘Jack in the beanstalk’ story.

Nestled in my Jesus seat, I am returned to my origins. Safe in the hold of my saviour, I am at peace. In Him I have my being. When I return to this most natural setting, my roof a canopy of leaves, I find myself able to draw from His life and strength. I can almost hear the growth of His spirit filling my being making me bigger than I am.

Only by returning to a hidden place with Him, can I receive what I need to be able to push back into the world and jostle with daily stresses. I call the tree, my ‘Jesus tree’ because when I am in my ‘Jesus seat’ under this tree, everything relates to Jesus. From here I find the nurture I need to grow tall and become productive.

The beans are small at the moment, but their leaves are stretched out as if they were in praise. They surrender their flat growth to the sun and in return receive its life and power. Soon, they will turn to bushes of green and provide me with beans for the table.

From my Jesus seat, I surrender my life afresh and pray for my life to be fruitful for the master’s glory.