My Daddy made a coffee table
which sat in the corner
of our living room.
It was my hiding place
when I was wee,
a place to find refuge
when I felt overwhelmed
or when I had done wrong.
Underneath the coffee table
was my space
I felt safe there
and would remain there
until I felt ready to emerge
and face the world again.

Some things in life
simply don’t change.
Now, in adulthood,
I still feel overwhelmed by life
at times
and I still do wrong.
Daddy’s coffee table
is still going strong
but I no longer seek refuge here.
Instead, I seek refuge
in prayer.

And sometimes, in prayer,
I feel like that wee girl again,
lying on the living room floor,
underneath the coffee table.

But I am not alone.

I sense Almighty God,
who really should be towering
oh, so high, above me,
crouching right down beside me
as He smiles and asks tenderly,
“Hello Claire, what’s up?”
My God then gently teases out
what’s troubling me
and sets me on the right path
so I feel ready to emerge, once more,
from underneath the coffee table,
ready to face the world
again.

© Claire Murray, 9th April 2018