sacred Space

Some of the most important work God has ever done in my life hasn’t happened while I was busy.

It happened in the quiet.

In the space.

When I was younger, I believed productivity was the measure of a meaningful life. If I was accomplishing something, serving someone, checking another task off the list, then I felt like I was moving forward.

But healing doesn’t usually happen at the speed of busyness.

Healing requires space.

Not empty space.

Sacred space.

The kind of space where we stop performing and start paying attention.

The kind of space where we finally ask ourselves the questions we’ve been avoiding.

The kind of space where we sit with God long enough to hear His voice over the noise of our own thoughts.

I’ve needed that space this past season.

As many of you know, my son and his family recently moved away. On the surface, I thought I was simply grieving the loss of family get togethers, school pickups, games, spontaneous visits, and the beautiful rhythm of life with my grandchildren.

And I am.

But as I sat with God, journaled, prayed, and simply allowed myself to feel what I was feeling, I discovered there was something underneath the obvious grief.

The move exposed wounds.

It uncovered disappointment.

Questions.

Broken trust.

Words that had been written cut far deeper than I wanted to admit. They caused me to question the relationship and even wonder about kind words that had been spoken in the past. I found myself asking, What was real? What wasn’t?

Those questions don’t get answered when we’re rushing from one responsibility to the next.

They surface when we create space.

Space has a way of gently uncovering what we’ve buried.

Sometimes that’s uncomfortable.

But it is also where healing begins.

That’s one of the reasons the REAL framework has become so much more than a teaching for me.

It has become the way I return to myself—and to God.

Rooted

Creating space reminds me where my roots truly belong.

Not in circumstances.

Not in relationships.

Not in how people respond to me.

Not even in the beautiful gifts God has entrusted to me, like family.

Those are blessings.

But they were never meant to be my foundation.

When I stay Rooted in Christ I remember that He is the One constant when everything else feels uncertain.

He is still steady.

He is still trustworthy.

He is still good.

Empowered

Once my roots are settled, I can invite the Holy Spirit into the places I’d rather avoid.

His role isn’t simply to comfort me.

He empowers me to tell myself the truth.

Not the story fear creates.

Not the assumptions pain whispers.

The truth.

Sometimes that truth reveals where others have wounded me.

Sometimes it reveals where my expectations have become unhealthy.

Sometimes it reveals places where forgiveness still needs to grow.

The Holy Spirit never condemns.

He gently leads us toward freedom.

Authentic

Creating space also gives us permission to be honest.

Authenticity isn’t pretending everything is fine.

Neither is it becoming consumed by our pain.

It’s simply bringing our whole selves before God without hiding.

“I miss my grandchildren.”

“I feel hurt.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I’m disappointed.”

“I’m grieving.”

Those aren’t signs of weak faith.

They’re signs of an honest heart.

God has never asked us to impress Him.

He’s invited us to know Him.

And we cannot truly know Him while hiding from ourselves.

Loved

Perhaps this is the greatest gift of creating space.

Eventually, after the tears, after the questions, after the wrestling…

We remember we are still loved.

Nothing has changed that.

Not disappointment.

Not damaged trust.

Not unanswered questions.

Not loss.

God’s love remains constant while everything else shifts.

His love becomes the safe place where healing grows.

And from that place, we slowly begin to dream again.

Hope again.

Trust again.

Not because life suddenly became easy.

But because we’ve returned to the One who never left.

Creating Your Own Sacred Space

Maybe today you don’t need another podcast.

Another book.

Another productivity hack.

Maybe what your heart needs is twenty quiet minutes.

A journal.

An open Bible.

A walk in nature.

A cup of coffee without your phone.

A conversation with God that doesn’t begin with requests but with honesty.

Ask yourself:

• What am I really feeling beneath the surface?
• What loss am I carrying?
• What disappointment have I not acknowledged?
• What hope is God quietly planting inside me?
• What truth do I need Him to remind me of today?

You may be surprised by what rises to the surface.

And even more surprised by the peace that follows.

Creating space isn’t about escaping life.

It’s about becoming present enough to live it.

It’s where our hearts slow down long enough to hear God’s.

It’s where healing finds room to grow.

It’s where we become REAL.

Rooted in Christ.

Empowered by His Spirit.

Authentic before God and others.

Loved more deeply than we can imagine.

And perhaps that’s the safest place any of us could ever be.

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