Is the Holy Spirit Waiting in the Back Room?

You might be surprised if you know me personally. Today I’m energetic, passionate, and… well… let’s just say I’m loud enough to keep life interesting!

But as a little girl, I was quiet and content.

I could spend hours making mud pies in an old muffin tin and “baking” them in the sunshine. I sang at the top of my lungs while dancing on a large wooden box that my dad had turned upside down after mixing concrete.

I didn’t need much to be happy.

A Visit I Never Forgot

I usually played by myself, but when my friend Mildred invited me to spend the night at her house, I could hardly contain my excitement.

One of my favorite memories from that visit was her mother’s beautiful dining room table.

She paid attention to every little detail.

Perhaps that’s why, even today, I still say,

“Everything tastes better on a pretty plate—even burned food!”

Wayne doesn’t always agree…

but I simply ignore him! 😊

Yet as beautiful as that table was, it wasn’t what stayed with me all these years.

It was something else.

Something much quieter.

The Room at the End of the Hall

Down a long hallway was a room with its door standing open.

You had to pass that room every time you walked to the bathroom or to Mildred’s bedroom.

As I walked by, I glanced inside.

There, sitting quietly in a chair beside the bed, was the oldest, most wrinkled little man I had ever seen.

I stopped just long enough to ask,

“Who is that?”

I had already met everyone else.

Her kind parents.

Her older brother—the handsome football player. (Did I mention he was handsome? Older… but so cute!)

But no one had mentioned this man.

Mildred answered simply,

“That’s my grandpa.”

And we kept walking.

An Image That Never Left Me

I never knew the story.

There may have been reasons I couldn’t possibly understand.

What stayed with me wasn’t a little girl’s actions or an old man’s history.

It was the image.

An elderly man…

sitting quietly…

in a room…

at the end of a long hallway.

Life continued throughout the rest of the house.

• Laughter.
• Meals.
• Conversations.
• Family.

Yet he remained quietly in the background, almost forgotten behind an open door.

That picture has stayed with me for decades.

Has the Holy Spirit Become the Forgotten Guest?

Years later, that childhood memory began asking me a question.

Have we unintentionally allowed Precious Holy Spirit to remain in a back room of our lives?

Not because we reject Him.

Not because we deny He exists.

But Deep within our beliefs,

we have a place labeled “Holy Spirit.”

But have we quietly moved Him to a place where He has little influence over our everyday lives?

Do we acknowledge Him…

yet seldom welcome Him into our daily conversations, decisions, worship, and relationships?

Have we left Him standing quietly behind an open door?

Why Do We Keep Him at a Distance?

Perhaps we’re afraid.

Afraid of what He might ask us to do.

Afraid of what He might say.

Afraid of losing control.

Or perhaps our questions have become barriers.

Maybe the behavior of some “super spiritual” people has confused us.

Maybe controversy has caused us to step back rather than lean in.

Whatever the reason, the result is heartbreaking.

We try to live the Christian life without the very One Jesus sent to help us.

Controversy Is Nothing New

There has always been controversy surrounding the Holy Spirit.

It began immediately after Pentecost.

Acts 2:12–13 (The Message)

Their heads were spinning; they couldn’t make head or tail of any of it. They talked back and forth, confused: “What’s going on here?”

Others joked, “They’re drunk on cheap wine.”

Some were amazed.

Others mocked.

Nothing has changed.

Yet controversy should never keep us from discovering the reality of Precious Holy Spirit for ourselves.

Pursue Understanding

Proverbs 4:7 (NIV)

Wisdom is supreme;

therefore get wisdom.

Though it cost all you have,

get understanding.

We desperately need the Word of God.

But we also need Precious Holy Spirit.

He is the One who illuminates the Scriptures and breathes life into them so they become more than words on a page.

He makes truth come alive within us.

Hidden Treasure

God often hides His treasures the way gold is hidden in the earth.

Not to keep them from us…

but to invite us to seek them with passion.

Today is a wonderful opportunity to begin a fresh pilgrimage.

Ask Him to reveal Himself to you.

Open His Word.

Spend time in His presence.

Invite Him out of the “back room.”

Welcome Him into every room of your life.

You may discover that the One you’ve known about for years is longing to become your closest Friend, Helper, Counselor, Comforter, Teacher, and Guide.

A Personal Prayer

My greatest desire is exactly what the Apostle John prayed:

“Beloved, I pray that in every way you may prosper and enjoy good health, as your soul also prospers.”

3 John 1:2 BSB

That’s why I write.

That’s why I pray for every person who visits Pat’s Place.

And that’s why I long for you to experience everything God has for you through the wonderful presence of Precious Holy Spirit.