Holy Ground

IT fell to me to be the homemaker while nurturing a fledgling professional practice from an office in our home. I soon discovered what I am sure is obvious to at-home parents everywhere -- properly attending to children and the home often leaves little time for other work. Adjustments to allow more time helped some, but it was soon obvious that my wife and I needed to see the daily care of family in a more spiritual light -- closer to the ``holy ground'' of God's command to Moses: ``Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.''1

I well knew -- or thought I did -- the ``place whereon'' we stood. Wasn't it endless laundry piles, homework, lunches, children's activities, groceries, household errands? But there was failure to see the ``holy ground.'' Although I really felt the deep spiritual value in what I was doing at home, I also needed to deepen my understanding of this concept as it applied to me at that time.

For me the reasoning supporting the ``holy ground'' began with God's place in the home and family. Christian Science sharpens one's awareness of the Biblical message that God is the divine Parent of man. This heaven-born Parent-child relationship can be the basis for everything we do in our homes and families. And the deep spiritual love this nurtures is really beyond anything human, since it is from God. Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, uses the word tender in describing the bond between God and man. She writes, ``Father-Mother is the name for Deity, which indicates His tender relationship to His spiritual creation.''2

Doesn't it seem inconceivable that God as the divine Parent would give His children anything less than the full measure of His love? Understanding this provides the spiritual basis for the ``holy ground'' of maintaining a home and rearing a family. The knowledge that God treasures His children can inspire us in all of our home relations. At another place in Science and Health Mrs. Eddy says, ``Is not the propagation of the human species a greater responsibility, a more solemn charge, than the culture of your garden or the raising of stock to increase your flocks and herds?''3

A big change came to our lives as we adopted this spiritual viewpoint, though it took persistence over weeks, even months. We prayed every morning about the day's activities (and we still do). In each prayer, we sought to recognize God's perfect care for each one in the family as top priority for that day. I knew that willingly and lovingly following that priority in our activities would open the way for all the rightful work to be done, as well.

And it did! Often it seemed nothing short of amazing that there was time enough for everything. The family became something more than just two hard-working parents and their children. Instead, each member of the family began living his or her life more as an expression of God's love and purpose. We began to see the deeply spiritual nature of each one in the family, that in reality each one reflects God, and this spiritual truth brought healing in many ways.

Spirituality, lived and valued in the home, is the best possible basis for rearing children and maintaining a family. Isn't this the ``holy ground'' our families need?

1Exodus 3:5. 2Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 332. 3Ibid., p. 61.