SANCTUARY HOME
A house is not a whole lot until it is occupied by people. A house becomes either a sanctuary or a battlefield.
The definition of a sanctuary is a place of refuge or rest, a place where you can feel at peace or the holiest part of a temple or a church.
An example of a sanctuary is a church or temple. Another example of a sanctuary is a home
The goal of wise parents is to do what it takes to create a sanctuary home, not a battlefield home.
Easy to say, hard to accomplish.
It takes careful planning, mutual commitment, relentless practice, daily forgiveness asking, and a never quit attitude
Years ago a dear friend of mine said, “When I drive home tonight I want to keep on driving and driving and driving and never go home.” He lived in a Battlefield. How sad!
Sanctuary homes are rare. The moment you enter a sanctuary home you know it intellectually and you feel it emotionally. You feel good, you feel at ease. You enjoy peace.
Battlefield homes are too common. Kind words, teamwork, encouragement are in short supply or they do not exist at all.
Sanctuary homes are for-runners to the home of all homes. The Home in Heaven waiting for us.
For years Billy Thayer and I met at Vie & Pete’s Cafe. Billy and I delivered the Seattle PI to hundreds of Anacortes’ homes. From 3:30 AM to 4:00 AM we rubber banded our newspapers into throwing sticks so we could toss them on a house porch from 50 feet. None of this tossing your morning paper into the driveway from a car window.
Bill and I did not grow up in sanctuary homes, but by the grace of God, we were able to marry great women and live our adult lives in sanctuary homes.
Bill became an accomplished chef. An accident forced him to leave his earthly sanctuary home. Bill has a new home. He now lives in his heavenly sanctuary.
Helen emailed me recently. These were her words, “I miss Bill so much. I so look forward to being with Bill in our home in Heaven.
When Helen told me about a song that really helped her I was amazed to learn the singer was one of my favorites, BJ Thomas. His real name is Billy Joe.
Listen to Helen’s favorite song and see if it doesn’t stir and touch your heart.
