Chapter 5- Living Room Intimacy

This was actually a long chapter, but full of good "stuff". Living Room Intimacy is how we draw closer to God. How we can connect with our Creator. "All over the world, people go to unimaginable lengths to find God--which is sad when you consider the unimaginable lengths God has already gone to find us." (quote from Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World page 65) That's what the living room is about. It is the place in our heart where we meet with God.

I connected a lot with her comparison of our spiritual life to a snickers bar (or your candy of choice). We want to curb the hunger in our tummy for just a little bit before dinner. So we munch on something that is meant to take the edge off. When in fact that snickers bar takes the hunger away and all of sudden we can't eat of the feast that was prepared. It is like that with our spiritual lives. We eat a snickers bar here and there forgetting that God has set a table with good china, crystal goblets, and wonderful food but we aren't hungry enough to eat it. I admit that this is me. I've been working so hard at making sure to get my fill instead of a snickers bar that only leaves me hungry later. I read a blog about some ones faith or a bible verse on a facebook page and think that can fill me up for the day. I read a devotion I get in my email but don't have the time to open my bible. Now, don't get me wrong we all have those days. The days where I am just lucky to say a quick prayer and read that email devotion before my hubby heads out the door to work and my work day starts. I believe that those days are "ok". It's making them a habit that is not. Why use the drive thru everyday when you could eat at the buffet inside most days? I want to go in and eat. Not just drive thru and eat in the car on the run.

Our hearts are a home for God. They are beautiful but can be full of dark, dusty, moldy spaces that need to be cleaned out. In our hearts can be a beautiful drawing room. Weaver quotes Robert Boyd Munger's article My Heart Christ's Home. Munger talks about a journey one man makes through his heart with God. They look at all of the places both beautiful and not so beautiful. They come to one room "the drawing room" and the Lord tells the man they should meet there every morning. It is a beautiful room and just perfect for the two of them. The man begins coming every morning to the room. Soon though the time gets shortened with the demands of the world and finally the man misses a few days and a few more. One morning the man walks by the room and sees a fire. He steps in to see the Lord waiting for him. The man asks for forgiveness for missing their time and asks if the Lord has been waiting all of the days for him. The Lord replies yes, and then says "the trouble with you is this: You have been thinking of the quiet time, of Bible study and prayer time, as a factor in your own spiritual progress, but you have forgotten that this hour means something to Me also."

Our time with God in the living room should be a time to both speak and listen to what God has to say. I know that is why sacred space is so important to me. The living room in your heart should be open and ready to embrace God, but there should also be a place in your home. I am still working on my sacred space with God. Both my time with him and the place I feel most comfortable being with him.

This chapter was so full and I know I didn't cover it all but I hope this post can getting you thinking about both the intimacy in your heart with God and the space in your home. In the end I also hope you know (learn) that it should be a delight and not a duty to meet with your Savior in the living room.