Bill and I have stepped farther into the 21st century! We now have Netflix. Netflix has been around for awhile but we never felt like we would use it. This past week we bit the dust and put out the monthly $7.99 subscription. It seemed like a good idea. The array of possibilities is endless. Relaxing an hour or two in the evening with “Andy Griffith” never hurt anyone.

New TV options brought to light another problem. We have no comfortable place to watch our new shows. Two old chairs had popped a spring and we were relegated to a sofa and a place on the carpet with a couple of big pillows. The hunt has been on to find a good place to sit. We have seen all varieties of recliners , some even upholstered in camouflage fabric that would seat the whole crew of Duck Dynasty. There are theatre seats that have cup holders that light up, gears for every position and a size that would take up the entire space of our family room. There are smaller, yet less comfortable recliners that would fit nicely. The choices are too many to count. We have just started this hunt and will hopefully come up with a good place to sit and be comfortable for all that Netflix has to offer.

Finding a good place to sit has not always been a top priority of mine. I like to move and get things done. When I’m “just sitting” I get antsy. Not so much lately. Having a place to sit is important. I might be sitting by myself writing, reading, studying or just thinking. There are times when that extra seat might be needed for a friend who needs to talk. Other times we might need a host of seats so that those who want to share life around a table can connect.

Where and how seats are placed is also a consideration. Will they be in different parts of the room? Are they side by side? Do they face each other other? The first time I gave a baby shower after I was married, Bill helped me with placing the seats in our tiny apartment for the 15 women who would attend. After all his hard work I walked in and he had arranged the seats in five tiny rows like we were going to church, which did not create the atmosphere that was needed for the day. When our seats are turned towards each other we connect not only with our faces, but our souls and spirits. We are there to engage and communicate.

We all need a seat in the lives of those we consider important. We need them to have a seat in our lives. Keeping these places and “seats” open shows a broken world the love that only God can give us for one another. Giving those we love a place to open up, feel safe and share our deep places comes when we sit down. “Here is a seat,” communicates safety and initiative where God’s work in lives can begin and continue. If we are never offered the chance to sit down, we miss what God might want to say to all of us. God is the one who loved us in an all encompassing and perfect way that we might reach out and love one another.

The seat that we give to others in love, friendship and healing doesn’t have to have all the bells and whistles. It is different from a chair used to watch movies with moving parts and the right leather or fabric. This seat in our lives is a gift of love, whether it is in our hearts or whether they are seated right in front of us. These seats beat the places on the floor in front of the TV any day.

“We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19