As I sat and pondered what I’d write about for my first "deliberate life" blog, I realized I was sitting on it: The red couch in our front living room.

There’s nothing super special about the couch itself. Sure, it’s comfortable. I also love that it’s in a little-used area of our home, which was built back in the 1980s when formal living rooms were a “thing.”

But what I love the most about the couch is what it represents: It’s my sacred space. It’s the place where I intentionally go to get quiet and get with God.

Sometimes I read the Bible or a faith-infused book. Sometimes I listen to praise and worship music. Sometimes I pray. Sometimes I do all three. Sometimes I do none of the above and simply sit in silence.

I’m not perfect. I don’t get to my sacred space every day. I also know that I don’t have to be there to pray or talk to God. I pretty much do that all the time. In the kitchen. In the car. In the office. In the middle of the night. Running on the treadmill. Walking the dog. You name it. He’s a 24/7 God and I’m a 24/7 human who desperately needs him.

Yet, as I sat on the red couch this morning, it hit me that there is something precious about this space. There is something powerful about having a set-apart meeting place where my primary goal is to get with God. And there is something peaceful that dwells in my spirit when I leave the red couch and continue on with my day.

Friends, soul care is the ultimate in self-care!

In our amped-up world where busy is king and the noise of life is deafening…

Getting quiet with God is not a luxury, it’s a lifeline.

Maybe your spare time is elusive or non-existent.

Maybe you don’t have a comfy red couch or a vintage 1980s living room where you can retreat from the rest of your home.

All that said, I want to encourage you: don't let barriers become excuses.

Be courageous to kick the “time” barrier to the curb.

Be creative to find your sacred space—that set-apart place that works uniquely for you and the rhythms of your schedule. And, most importantly...

Be deliberate to practice going there.

Not out of legalism.

Not out of ritual.

Not out of perfection.

But out of sheer joy knowing that your sacred space is a sacred place where you can be refreshed, renewed and restored.

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Small steps forward: As we celebrate Resurrection Sunday, it's a great time to begin anew and resurrect intentional, set-apart God-focused quiet time...one day at a time. It doesn't have to be long and it doesn't have to be perfect. Simply seek out or revisit your personal sacred space. Pick at least one day next week and practice going there.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Psalm 91:1