Creating A Sanctuary For Your Soul

I'm so excited about this fabulous guest post from Gennean! Not only is she a talented communicator, her thoughts and musings on faith and life are always so inspiring. She's got a few great things to say about creating a place for your soul to find rest...something I think we could all use a little more of! Enjoy!--C
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I have exciting news: I just recently moved into my own room, y'all!  Okay, so maybe that doesn't sound like a big deal, but after living in dorm rooms for 3+ years and moving around every summer, I am excited to have now "settled down" at my friends house where I live (and pay rent).  Once I found out that I was going to have a real room of my own - which I haven't had in years - I knew that, for the sake of my soul, I needed it to be a place of rest, rejuvenation, and inspiration.


So let's talk a little bit about my room.  I love it.  So much.  Now that I work two jobs and am gone a lot, I find myself appreciating coming home and retiring to my room to relax so much more than ever before!  I had the opportunity to design my room, so I chose to go to IKEA for my furniture needs.  I decided to go for a clean, sleek look with all white to make the room look both bigger and brighter.

My "reading nook" is one of my favorite places in my room.  The bookshelf is full of books, old journals, my study Bible, coffee mugs and mason jars (which I seem to have collected a lot of), camera equipment, and some special recognitions.  Then there is the chair... let's talk about that chair.  I absolutely love it and the time that I spend nestled in it.  In the morning, you can find me there reading my devotionals and praying, and my nights are spent there with whatever books I'm reading at the time (which currently include As Sure as the Dawn [just finished it and cried my eyes out], 1000 Gifts, Kisses from Katie, & The Furious Longing of God).


My desk area is another favorite spot.  The desk itself is small and simple, and it serves its purpose perfectly as it is where I plop down to write, blog, study, and journal.  The Scripture prints above my desk are from Naptime Diaries, and I absolutely love them.  They keep me focused on trusting in, leaning on, and serving the Lord in everything that I do.

Then there's my bed.  Oh, glorious bed of mine, how I love thee!  But seriously,  it's amazing.  I have never had a bed bigger than a twin (and I honestly would have been fine with a twin), so this is quite the treat for little old me.  I love sprawling out on in and constantly find myself thanking God for such a bed to sleep in each night!  It also provides great access to roof, which I sometimes sneak onto to watch the sunset, write, or pray.


All that to say, when I walk into my room, I breathe in a sigh of relief.  No matter how awesome, crazy, or difficult my day has been, coming to this sacred place puts my soul at ease and fills my heart with joy.  And I am convinced that that should be true of the place you call home, as well.  The thought of your bedroom being "a sanctuary for your soul" might sound weird, but I have no doubt that your soul could benefit with a bit more rest.

For some reason, our culture thrives on being busy.  And we fall into that so easily, over-scheduling our lives and over-committing our time.  Yes, we should seek to be responsible through working, serving, and spending time with others.  But if there is one thing that God has impressed on my heart in the last few months more than ever before it is the need to be still and refresh my soul in the outpouring of His love.  My room as become the place in which I can do just that: allow my heart to be still in His presence, allow my mind to be filled with good things inspired by Him, and allow my body to rest in His peace.


I challenge you, dear friends, to do the same.  Rearrange, redecorate, simplify... do whatever you deem necessary to make your bedroom a place in which you can relax.  We need to learn to stop the glorification of busy and learn, instead, to just rest in Him.   I hope that your room, too, becomes somewhere that you can walk into and instantly be overcome with the following prayer: "be still, my heart, and find rest in this place."

His and yours,

Gennean