Most of us have heard what Realtors say are the three most important things for selling a house: location, location, and location.  Where the house is, the neighborhood, the proximity to amenities and necessities, the volume of traffic, nearby schools, and ease of access.  Location as a priority is high on the list for Realtors. 

The idea of real estate is a wonderful metaphor for the spiritual life as well.  We have inner real estate. 

What’s the location of your inner real estate? 

What’s the primary use of your inner real estate?

What structures occupy your inner real estate?

And most importantly, who owns the title of your inner real estate?

A tiny little booklet that has been available through Intervarsity Press for several decades is called “My Heart, Christ’s Home.”  It’s a sermon by the Rev. Robert Boyd Munger, preached at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church in the 1950’s.  It was so well received and powerful that it has continued to be available all these years.  I once used it for a Young Adult retreat where we had blueprints of a house to use as personal illustration of the various aspects of our inner real estate. I've kept a stack of copies and have often given them to people who come to chat with me.  One time after worship I handed them out at the door as people exited.  I've given them to new members who have joined the churches I was serving.  

The sermon has remained unchanged through the years except for one addition:  the bedroom.  Perhaps the activities of the bedroom were too private to be mentioned in a 1950's sermon.  It’s a good thing the bedroom was added since there’s really no aspect of our inner real estate that should be left out of the evaluation of our spiritual life.  

The idea of the sermon was that Jesus came into a house as a guest and the owner of the house went from room to room with Jesus.  In the study were all the intellectual things the man filled his head with; in the living room was the place where the man would meet Jesus daily; in the kitchen was the spiritual food he would consume. 

One of my favorites was the hall closet that had something in it that smelled terribly.  The man didn’t want Jesus to know what was in there and offered to clean it out himself, but Jesus explained that he couldn’t live in the house with the smell and the man couldn’t remove the stuff by himself. 

At the end of the sermon/booklet the man signs the title of the house over to Jesus.  Prior to that Jesus was a guest and inhabited the space, but he was not owner.  That’s a significant insight.  There are a lot of people who let Jesus live in their hearts as a guest, but draw the line at signing over the title.  They retain ownership of their inner real estate.  The difference between these two may be difficult to see on the outside, but the difference one feels on the inside is like night and day. 

The truth of the matter is that the inner real estate of each of us plays an enormous role in the outward activity of our lives—our relationships, our work, our recreation, the use of our money and time, our passions and mission in life. 

Take some time to inventory your inner real estate.  Check out your hall closet where you toss all the stuff you want out of sight.  Take a look at the title and who owns your inner real estate.  To whom are the property taxes paid? 

© Stephen Carl