“Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”
-Genesis 28:16b

Some people collect coins, or stamps, or little angel figurines.

My wife and I collect recliners.

Our main level has a nice living room which leads into what we’ve turned into an additional music/sitting room.

There are 5 recliners in that combined space.

I don’t know how it happened. We just gathered them over the years. It’s a little weird, but it’s nice when we have company. Everybody can put their feet up.

Last week, a thunderstorm came through, and we sat in this extra room, listening to the thunder. To our backs? A large picture window we’ve never really looked out of. Mostly, we’ve kept the shades drawn.

But the flashes of lightning gave us an idea. What if we turned our chairs around to face the window? We were amazed by what we found.

It’s the best seat in the house, and we never realized it. Now we sit in our chairs every morning, greeting the day with a newfound sense of awe. It’s like we built on an addition to the main floor, with a simple 180-degree turn!

Is it time to do some rearranging of your living space? Not just your physical space, but your spiritual one?

Sacred spaces may be hiding in plain sight. Is there a corner you can turn into a Holy spot? An empty wall that could become a focal point for your spirit?

Jacob happened onto a space like that. He was a pretty self-focused kid, scrambling for recognition. He stole a blessing and a birthright from Esau, and although Rebekah encouraged this, there was little he seemed to hold sacred.

That is, until his first night on the run. He stopped at a spot and fell asleep. He dreamed of angels ascending and descending a ladder that reached into the sky. When he awoke, he was seeing things a little differently.

Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it. God was there all along, and Jacob hadn’t noticed. Surprised to discover the sacredness around him, he built an altar of stone and poured oil on it.

He named that spot Bethel, which means “House of God”.

Jacob still had much to learn, but on that day he caught a glimpse of the Divine, in a place he never would’ve expected. He had been facing the wrong way–inward, towards himself, rather than “awe-ward”. This was like a revelation to him.

We’re still basking in our revelation. You’ll have to come over and sit in one of our many recliners sometime. I recommend the two facing our once-hidden window on the world. We’ve decided to claim the room as our literary “salon”.

Although, House of God has a nice ring to it.

May you discover Bethel where you least expect it. Ours does not come with angels, but isn’t our dog cute? He likes to sleep on the chairs.

We call him our La-Z Boy.

Have a great week,

Mitch