Thinking of Space

No not the grandiose galaxy out there, but my small space I have here in this life. To be more specific the space where we live. The space where we worship God. Not in church, but in our own private time alone. As many of you know we will be moving to a different house at the end of August...just one week before my due date. Won't that be fun? Anyway the house we are most likely moving to has even a little less space than the one we're in now. And you thought that was impossible. It's one of those kind of houses that you can stand at the front door and pretty much see the whole house. It's approximately one-fourth the size of our house in Virginia. Not much space to 'get away' or sit down with a cup of coffee and my Bible or another good book and spend some time praying and seeking after God.

These thoughts along with some others I have listed below have been swirling in my head and causing me to consider the space we have and what we do with it. I've been thinking that I need some 'space'...not necessarily a big space, but just a place, a retreat, a special area set aside to worship God in my house. Even a comfy chair in a quiet corner will suffice.

Then recently I was talking to a friend who told me about a room in our mutual friends' house. It's a meditation room. Each family member spends time there each day. Reading the Bible. Praying. Listening for guidance from the Spirit, etc.

Think of Jesus. How often did He pull away from the crowds and get alone to commune with the Father? We see in Scripture that He often did this by either going to the mountains, the sea, the wilderness or a garden to pray. He choose places in nature to pray and be strengthened by God.

Next I was thinking of Muslims. Many Muslims carry a prayer rug with them. A space set aside to ensure the cleanliness of their place of prayer, and to create an isolated space to concentrate in prayer.

How physical space impacts our moods and our outlook I believe is often overlooked by many Christians. The space I am in can deeply impact how I feel. I believe space/location has a deeper impact on us humans than we even realize. Why else do large companies, churches, builders and businesses spend so much time and money researching and choosing just the right environment for their consumers?

In the U.S. we make a great effort to make sure we have a great space for cooking and entertaining, for keeping our clothes, for brushing our teeth, for showering and even for getting ready in the morning not to mention the space that we need to store our food. I'm wondering is this really the best use of our space. Would it perhaps be better to use some of that space as a place I go to get alone with God? For finding strength in the Spirit? For confessing my sins? For looking to Him for guidance? For putting on my spiritual armor? For praying for the lost and for my children? Aren't these things more important? Yet, we don't seem to put the same energy into finding this space in our houses.

I am going to make an effort to find a regular space for spending time with God. A place set aside for just that purpose. Some place I can sit down and focus on Him. I'll keep you updated on how it impacts my spiritual life.

If you have any ideas or thoughts along these lines I'd like to hear them.