sacred space

When God began creating the heavens and the earth, He began by "making space" for all the wonderful things to come.  First came the light, the energy of life.  On the second day, He created the sky and the sea, followed by the dry land on the third day. 

The fourth, fifth, and sixth days were devoted to filling the empty spaces with corresponding blessings: 

1.  light                               4.  sun, moon, stars
2.  sea and sky                    5.  birds and fish
3.  dry land/ vegetation      6.  animals / humans

It follows that if we want anything to happen in our lives, we must first "make space" for it to happen.  Physically, psychologically, emotionally, spiritually--nothing can enter our lives until we have made space for it.  If we want to paint, we must find a corner where painting can occur; if we want to pray, our first step is to find our "sacred space" where prayer can happen---a chair, our bed, the front porch, or our favorite tree.

The important thing is to have access daily to our sacred space, with tools nearby to help us---a bible, a journal, inspirational reading, a window, etc.  At first, it may be that nothing happens in the sacred space; we feel we are just wasting time.  But soon, if we persevere, our bodies, minds, and souls will begin to recognize the space as a place of prayer.  If we stay there for fifteen minutes a day at first, something will begin to happen in that sacred space:  our bodies will relax; our minds soften and slow down, and the soul, the spirit in us will tentatively emerge into a place of safety. 

We may find ourselves thinking of all the things we have to do---and get frustrated, thinking we are being distracted from praying.  But it may be that the Holy Spirit is guiding us into getting our lives in order, reminding us of what is important.  It helps to have a notebook nearby where we can jot down the ideas that come to us, so that once again our minds may be free and open to receive whatever blessings will come to us at that moment.

Carving out space and time for God each day is absolutely necessary for a relationship with Him.  Believing in Him is not as important as allowing Him access to us on a daily basis.  He has His arms full of blessings, but there is often no space in our lives for Him to put them down.