Sacred Spaces

As a child, a somewhat regular refrain in our house was, “You don’t get a party every year.” After being reminded of this one birthday, I remember asking my mom, So, every other year? She laughed and said no, not even every other year. I, like my mom, had few birthday parties growing up--milestones like ten, thirteen, sixteen. My birthday was always acknowledged and celebrated, but that did not usually translate to a party.

My mom’s words ring in my head every fall as my girls’ birthdays approach. We are not a party-every-year house. 

But no matter how low-key I determine to make my child’s said birthday observance, I agonize over who to include: just grandparents? Aunts and uncles too? Our close friends next door? 

I stress. I worry. But more recently, I’ve begun to pray.

Any gathering--a holiday, a birthday, a spontaneous backyard hangout, I’ve begun to ask God, who do you want here? And do you know what? He always answers.

I have felt so much peace in this practice. The Lord has shown up over and over again, and I can trust that I’m not leaving anyone out, that the Lord is present in whatever it is that we’re doing, whenever it is that we’re celebrating, whoever it is that is gathering.

For Gwen's second birthday, I bought some balloons, my mom painted a sign (thank you, Mom!) and her cousin came over for ice cream. Gwen said it was the best day of her life. Or, I think that's what she would have said if she were better at talking.

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I have never used ChatGPT. Not never will I ever, nor do I think it’s inherently bad (Clint uses it every day at work). But how much easier is it to ask a bot for direction than to ask our King? A bot in which we are guaranteed an answer, and almost certainly a good one. Versus a King who is often silent, often slow to answer.

There is a commercial for ChatGPT where a brother asks Chat to help plan a trip for his sister. The commercial portrays love and laughter and fun. But I’m left wondering, is this love? Asking a computer to plan a trip for the most important people in our lives? Are we okay with cheapening the human experience? For asking something non-human for advice on how to be a better human? If our boyfriend proposes to us via an idea from ChatGPT, are we okay with that?

I listened to this fantastic interview, and Andy Crouch gives some great guardrails for when to invite a bot into our lives and when to not. The word he uses is sacred. There are sacred spaces where the Lord wants to move, to speak, and if we are too quick to reach for the immediate answer, we are sure to miss the Lord’s voice. 

So I guess my challenge is, what can you pray about that seems silly? God never ceases to surprise me when I turn to him with what feels like the most inconsequential questions. Who should be invited? Who should come over for dinner? What should I do today?

So maybe the next time we’re tempted to consult the internet for answers--where to go on vacation, what to say in a wedding toast, when to have a baby--first ask the Lord. He may just surprise you.

But the greatest gift will be the sense of peace that comes with your next step, knowing that the Lord was invited into a space that may or may not have felt sacred. Because now you can look around the room and know that it almost certainly is.