The Space

When you are part of a large family, there is not much time to be alone.
That is a good thing.
There is always someone to play with.
There is always someone to climb into the fort with.

With a large family learning the concept of sharing begins early.
In our house, there was only one day that you did not have to share.
You did not have to share on your birthday.
Ironically, the children always wanted to share because it was no fun to play alone.

My two older girls shared a room.
Even though there was not an actual line across the floor, you could always guess sides.
The older one who was an athlete had her field hockey and lacrosse sticks in the corner.
The younger one was more into music and her side, with its posters, said as much.

Two brothers came along and then another sister.
The boys shared a room and the youngest had a room all her own.
Her room was the nursery, so that was expected.
The boys had their football comforters, baseball hats, and sport paraphernalia.

It was my second daughter that felt the need for more alone time.
She wanted a place to call her own, but with our large family, that was impossible.
Or was it?
I had an idea.

We have a back staircase in our house.
At the top of that staircase is a walk-in closet.
That closet, typically for extra sheets and blankets, was used more for storage back then.
What if…?

I talked to my husband and in typical man fashion he said the logical thing.
She is never going to want to be in a closet!
I couldn’t get him to understand that her bedroom was still her room.
This would be her space.

But she has her space.
The conversation was going nowhere.

I thought it through in my mind.
I envisioned all the possibilities.
My husband never said, NO.
He just couldn’t see the space the way I saw the space.

I talked to both of my girls a few days later.
I laid out the plan.
You have been asking for a place to go, to read, listen to music and be alone for a while.
What do you think of using the hallway closet?

I could see a smile begin on my oldest daughter’s face; words that she was ready to say.
I glanced over and gave her the Mom look that made her think better of saying anything.
My youngest daughter looked curious as I brought her into the hallway closet.
All at once I knew that she saw the space the way I envisioned, with all its possibilities.

We set out to find the one thing she needed: a beanbag chair.
She put a white resin table next to that chair and put a lava lamp on top.
My husband was getting used to the idea and even put an electrical outlet in the closet.
She had her tape player, back in the days of cassette tapes, and her posters on the wall.

The few things that were in that closet were moved elsewhere.
It became her space.
I would hear her music as I walked by.
I would see her reading her favorite book, sitting in her beanbag chair.

The closet, that became The Space, was an incredible blessing to her.
It filled a need at the time when filling that need was important.
My oldest daughter didn’t mind because she had the room to herself during those times.
My boys didn’t mind because boys don’t seem to mind such things.

It was the best thing we ever did.
She remembers her space fondly.
We have one regret; we never took a picture of her space; not one.
It is forever and only etched in our memory.

Large crowds forever surrounded Jesus.
The people consistently pressed in, wanting healing and provision.
Jesus was always gracious and even at inopportune times, had compassion on them.
His own needs and comforts were secondary to the needs of the people.

Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field.”
(Matthew 9:35-38)

I wonder if Jesus had wished He had a space?
A place to get away from the crowds for just a little while.
Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” (Luke 9:58)

At almost every turn when Jesus tried to be alone to pray, the crowds found Him.
He ministered to them every time.
Jesus left His Space in heaven.
He made Himself nothing and took on the very nature of a servant. (Philippians 2:7)

My daughter outgrew her space.
She found other ways to find that time alone she so desperately needed.
I never regret giving her that space when she needed it the most.
It is important for each of us to chisel out time to be alone.

Time to be still.
Time to know that He is God.
Time to listen to His Whispers.
Time to quiet the noisy din that is always around us.

We are sheep without a shepherd.
We are harassed and helpless.
We are needy.
The One who made us, has compassion on us and He understands.