Pastor Lauren’s sacred space

This is a guest post by Rev. Lauren Roepken as a follow up to last weekend’s message, How do I read the Bible?

When I think about sharing a picture of my sacred space with several people I am immediately overcome with two emotions:

1. Vulnerability
2. This will be interesting…

These two emotions are rooted in the same place. The vulnerability comes from a place of allowing others to be truly let into the depths of my soul. A couple of years ago finding a sacred time and space was a major challenge for myself. I used to think it was an issue of time.

“I don’t have time… I need more sleep… I’ll do it tomorrow…”

I sat down with my campus minister from University of Texas at Arlington one time and he said, “Lauren, are you afraid to fully expose yourself to the Lord?” I slowly began to realize my time and sleep response was nothing more than an excuse. I realized that there was a fear in my heart of what would come from these moments where I allowed time for God to truly speak into my life and take over my heart. Although this was a slow process of realization, I experienced quickly realization that it was not okay. I spent the next several months testing how I could ease myself into this situation which I kept trying to fight. Here is where it gets interesting.

I do not have a beautiful nook in my house where I spent my sacred time. My sacred time occurs before my feet even hit the floor in the morning. I sit up in my bed, turn on the Christmas lights I have draping my headboard, grab my Bible, and begin reading two chapters (currently in Ezra). Over the past year I have learned that my sacred space will never be worthy of a Pinterest advertisement, but it is what works for me. It is where I feel most comfortable, and is where I have experienced the most fruitful planting of transformation in my life.

I hope that in sharing this you feel a sense of comfort. There is no “right way” to have a sacred time or space. It is simply what works for you in having time to open your heart to allow the Lord to move in your life.