Our homes are filled with sacred places, places set apart for special purposes. We often take these sacred places for granted. Unfortunately, we disregard the sacred places of home to our own peril. When we neglect the sacred places in our homes, we miss the opportunities they offer for intimacy and growth. We fall “out of sync” and find ourselves growing distant from one another. Healthy families recognize the sacred places in their homes and enjoy them. Where are those sacred places? And what do they do for our families? Let me describe just four sacred places in our home.

• The living room is a sacred place in our home. We share the stories of our daily lives with one another in the living room. Based on those stories, we develop dreams and goals that propel our lives into the future. As our life stories unfold with one another, we can share lessons, encouragements, and guidance to promote growth and the successful navigation through our lives and dreams. The living room has become a sacred place of cherishing and supporting one another’s life stories and dreams.
• The kitchen is a sacred place in our home. The kitchen is set aside to allow families the opportunity to create together. In the kitchen we join together to prepare our sustenance. We work together to clean up the messes we make. We offer the fruits of our labors to one another so we can share in meals, conversation, laughter, and fellowship. We discuss the daily events of our lives and offer support and encouragement in the sacred space called our kitchen.
• The bedroom is sacred place in our home, not only for the couple but for the whole family. It is through the bedroom we begin to sync our lives and attune to one another. We sync our daily cycle of rest and activity through the bedroom. We attune to one another and learn to enjoy rest together. For couples, the bedroom becomes a sacred place of learning the deep truths of intimacy and the cycle of sharing new life together. The bedroom is the sacred space in which we sync our lives together in such a way that new life is begun on many levels.
• The porch is a sacred place in our home. We sit on the porch and reminisce about our times together. We grow more secure in our relationship with one another. But the porch is also on the border of the world. It is the sacred place from which we look outward. We stand on the porch and listen for the call of God, the dream instilled by Him in our hearts. We stand on the porch to explore our vocation and calling. Eventually, each one leaves home through the porch to fulfill their calling. They leave the security of home to live out their vocation in the world knowing that the sacred space of the porch is always available, always open. They need only step back onto the porch to receive the support, encouragement, and love they need to go on.

 

The home is filled with sacred places. Perhaps your sacred places are different than the ones I listed above.  That’s fine. Each family finds their own sacred spaces within the home. Most important is for each family to nurture the sacred spaces. Care for them with respect. When we do, those sacred spaces will bring health, happiness, and joy to your family.