Sacred Space

calendar

Does this look familiar?

So often we think of time as something we possess and something that we have complete control over, as evidenced by the notes on our day planners, the calendars of activities on our walls and the event schedules and reminders that pop up routinely on our phones and computers. But the reality is that time is something that is completely in God’s hands. To quote Jacob Allstaedt, a pastor in Federal Way, Washington, “Perhaps it’s better for us to think of time as a sacred space; it’s something in which we live. When you think of a sacred space, like a cathedral, you can either honor that space or desecrate it.”

When we think of time as a sacred space and something that is a precious gift to us, it changes our approach entirely. We seek to live our lives in a way that gives glory to God. We have gratitude in our hearts for the opportunities we are given each day, no matter how small or insignificant or mundane they seem to be.

We do not know how much sacred space we have available, so we need to do all we can to make the most of it while we are living in it. That means telling others about Jesus, serving others as Christ served us, and being kind, loving and forgiving.

In addition, the way we approach the future changes when we think of time as sacred space that is completely in God’s control. While so many of us like to have everything all planned out for the next week, month year (I put myself in this category), the Bible says we can’t truly know how our sacred time will transpire:

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” James 4:13-15

What we do know is that Jesus will come at the Last Day to raise us all to be him for all eternity and we need to live in that hope and that assurance in this “in-between” time. Since we “know how the story ends,” this time until then (however long it might be) can be a time of joy in being alive, a time of growth in faith, a time of deepening relationships. It is a time that is no longer about me and my plans for the future, but about God and his plans for all our futures through the death and resurrection of his Son, Jesus, who is working out the details as we speak:

 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14:2-3

What a sacred space that will be!

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