June 16 – Sacred Space

Written on June 16, 2009 by emily

Home is a sacred space. It is for me, anyway. And I think home is intended to be so for everyone, although I know it doesn’t always work out like that. There are all kinds of reasons, and its easy to blame someone else if home is not really a place of peace, but as mothers…as parents…as couples, there is really no one else more responsible for what comes through the doors of your house.

I see some people shut themselves in. They come in from work or from whatever challenges they face in the world, bringing all their stresses and worries, bringing their sicknesses and sorrows with them. Sometimes its in the form of their attitudes, sometimes its in the form of stuff. Like a piggy-bank that is never emptied, only the stuff collected is not nearly as useful as a pile of coins. Soon the piles are so high that there is no room to breathe, and there is no space to work out the challenges of life with those you love. Everyone hides behind their own piles and problems, and the love that was once cultivated in the sacred space gets buried. Unfortunately, buried things don’t seem to live for long–unless they’re roots in the ground of fertile soil, but thats another discussion altogether.

Some people fling open the doors and invite every stranger in. Well, some are not strangers anymore, but the point is that the door never closes. All things from the outside are allowed in, and all things from the inside can be easily carried out because there is no one guarding the door. That means the treasures and lovely things too. Sure, the trash should go out, as well as the unneeded things so the aforementioned hoarding can be avoided. There are no piles to hide behind, but neither is there any safety for tender hearts to grow and be protected inside the walls of what should be a sanctuary. Forgive the strong language, but the sanctuary becomes something more like a brothel, and everything good and pure is consumed for the sake of serving the entire outside world. Intentions might be good, but intentions are not anything like actions, and action is required to divide what is welcome and what is not welcome in the sacred space. In fact, sometimes you might have to be more aggressive than you think to keep the uglies out. Sometimes those uglies come in on the backs of people you love dearly and feel some sense of obligation to. But no, discerning one. You must not let your loyalties dictate your choices. That is not the way of wisdom.

There is no obligation noble enough to override the responsibility to tend the door of your home. I’ll take it one step further, and say there is no obligation noble enough to require you to leave open the door of your heart to any passer-by. There is a time and a place for service and for giving to others. And I do believe both should be done generously and without expected gain…but all with wisdom and at the appropriate times.

We live in evil times. I will not live my life propelled by fear, but neither will I live without wisdom. Without wisdom, the lasting treasures cultivated in the sacred space we share with loved ones are easily trampled. That is why I am more committed than ever to guard my home like a sentinel. If the space in which you live is not a sanctuary where God is welcomed to do His healing and restorative work in your lives, you’re missing out on something terribly important. There is no house, no city, no lifestyle too important to cling to if the space in which you live is not a sanctuary.

So ask God to give you discerning eyes and ears. Though you may feel like a victim, or at least caught in a cycle that is outside your control, you have more authority than you realize. God is all-powerful and all-wise, and when He draws near to you–especially at your humble request, there is no telling what changes may come. Probably not easy ones, as thats not usually how things go, but the best things in life are not free. They may not cost money, but they do cost something. For me, I find my ego the most costly to surrender. But as I’ve learned to give it up in exchange for a new heart and perspective, I’ve seen my home turning into this peaceful place and sacred space of which I write. What will it cost you to make your home a sanctuary?

---