The definition of “sanctuary” from dictionary.com:
1. a sacred or holy place.
2. Judaism.
a. the Biblical tabernacle or the Temple in Jerusalem.
b. the holy of holies of these places of worship.
3. an especially holy place in a temple or church.
4. the part of a church around the altar; the chancel.
5. a church or other sacred place where fugitives were formerly entitled to immunity from arrest.
6. immunity afforded by refuge in such a place.
7. any place of refuge; asylum.
8. a tract of land where birds and wildlife, esp. those hunted for sport, can breed and take refuge in safety from hunters.
I’ve always thought that a person’s home should be their sanctuary, their safe haven from the craziness of the world. Beginning my maternity leave just before giving birth to my 2nd child 1 month ago, I was really looking forward to staying home each day with my 2 kids; my husband works from home so we see him frequently as well. Maybe it’s because I’m an optimist, but I really thought we’d have a great time & that my son would adjust well to his new sister without *any* problems or controversy. He was doing great accepting everything we told him about what life would be like & was looking forward to having a new sibling. For the most part things have been going well & he is gentle with her & gives her kisses. However, today I thought I was going to lose it.
Every chance he got, my 2 yr old would disobey, waking the baby up twice in the process. I’m sure he was just looking for attention, & yes, he sure got it! He spent quite a lot of time in the corner, unfortunately. Anyhow, today my safe haven, my sanctuary, was anything but. It was more stress & chaos than a tough day at work! Stay-at-home moms definitely work hard! The experience made me realize 2 things.
First, it made me ponder, & know just a little bit better, how God feels when we, His children, disobey His word. I don’t mean ignorance, but blatant disobedience. Have you ever knowingly disobeyed the Lord? Ever felt like you were “standing in the corner” or on a “time-out” for a while in life? God doles out the discipline with more love in His heart & a whole lot less anger (Ps. 86:15) than we earthly parents! But each day as a mom I look at my 2 kids & get to know the parent part of God’s heart that much better. It makes me want to be a better daughter.
Second, & my main point, is that He reminded me that the temple veil was torn when Jesus was obedient & completed His mission on the Cross. The holy of holies, the ultimate place of worship, was opened up to us all. 1 Cor. 6:19 tells us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Christ is dwelling within our hearts & with us now & always, to the end of this age & for eternity. In the midst of my little home’s stress & chaos, I was reminded that Jesus is with me through it all. He is right there with me in my boat that is being tossed to & fro in the storm & He is calm. When I remember that He is with me, not only can I tell the storm to calm, but like Peter, even I can walk on the water with Him, by His power.
My sanctuary, my safe haven, was within the whole time.