GodReflection: Life in the Holy Presence
You shall be Holy for I am Holy – 1 Peter 1:16
One of the many things we human types hold in common is that we all come from imperfect homes and those of us who marry participate in the establishment of less than perfect homes.
When I tag holy to home it is far too easy to paint a false portrait of perfection. Holy homes aren’t defined by around the clock prayer, Bible reading, family meals, and niceties that flow from all hearts and lips.
Consistency in those acts don’t describe any home I know—mine included.
Perhaps holy homes are more about the tenor of life in the home than pattern details.
My family of origin was composed of two imperfect parents, four of us imperfect siblings, and in the earliest years whoever of the extended family happened to need a place to stay.
However, even as little kids we sensed God to be central to our home.
To honor our parents was a non-negotiable.
We were taught to hold the Bible in high esteem as the Word of God. Each of us received Bibles. Oddly enough family reading wasn’t practiced. Although, we were expected to do the Bible memory work or homework assigned weekly from our Sunday School.
Our prayer life was my dad’s same memorized prayer for every meal and my mother’s presence to listen to our bedtime prayers.
Oh, I almost forgot. We did have a thrice-weekly seat to hear the long and drawn out public prayers of our men-folks when we assembled as church.
Full participation in the life of our church and youth activities were assumed.
As a family we worked hard and played hard. We were governed more by boundaries than rules.
At the end of the day short tempers, missteps, faults, and lots of human weakness was baptized in family love. It doesn’t seem to be all of that much of a stretch to remember family as holy.
Ok, here I am nearer to the end than the beginning of the last semester of life. I’ve begun to see the concept of “to be” more at the core of God’s desire for me than my customary “to do.”
This idea seems especially relevant to the ambient of our homes. Could it be that there is not a lot I can do to build a holy home on my own steam other than to allow God to help me be?
Once again I am reminded if I walk toward the Holy, I will morph into the Holy, because the “I AM” is Holy and His Son Jesus is Holy, and the Spirit is Holy.
After all, if I am a sibling of Holy Jesus is there any possible way that my home would fail to be filled with the Holy?
Stay tuned.
Dr. Gary J. Sorrells
A GodReflection on Life within Holy Homes
Gary@Godreflection.org www.GodReflection.org
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