If I’m writing for thirty one days about creating white space, I should probably make sure we’re all on the same page about white space.
So what is white space?
For artists and designers, white space is often referred to as negative space. It’s the part of the page that is blank. White.
White space is a good thing. White space is needed for the eye to rest. For all the other things to have a place to exist in that space. The white space balances out everything else.
Otherwise items are lost and overlooked. It becomes too much.
In this year of selling and leaving our home, moving to Todd’s grandmother’s house, and living about thirty minutes way from our community, there have been a lot of changes. I hoped for simplicity, but we’ve still been without margin.
I’ve been without margin.
Despite having almost all of our belongings in storage, I’ve continued to accumulate toys and clothes and… ahem… coffee mugs.
Our schedules have been full. The commitments have us over-extended.
White space is needed for my soul to rest.
Andy Stanley calls it “breathing room.”
We will likely move into our new home within the next 30 days. A few months ago, I began to realize that we will soon be reunited with all of our belongings that we packed up 11 months ago. Things we have lived without. Many things that we do not need.
As I prepare for that day, and the possible shock of it all, I’m committing to a white space challenge. To stop buying useless stuff.
To stop overcommitting.
To clear the calendar.
To focus on community and relationship.
And to prepare our hearts to settle into this place where God wants me to be. Physically and spiritually.
But most importantly, I am trusting Him to carry me through this. In this lack of breathing room, my relationship with Jesus suffers. My willingness to create white space will be an act of worship for Him. Because, really, what else in life is more important than that?
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:31-34
so powerful & true my friend.
i’m looking forward to your series & seeing what the lord will continue to do in & through yOU!
Thank you, Paige. I’m praying. I keep thinking of you and your home and what you’ve done. It’s truly inspiring.
Great idea! I look forward to reading your posts this month.
Thank you, Jennifer!
I look forward to reading along! Thank you for sharing!
Every time I read your blog I am reminded of what is important in this world. I am so with you on not having enough white space in my life. Thanks for showing us through your life.
Oh Hayley. That is so kind of you to say. Thanks for your encouragement. Praying I can get through this challenge!
Erin I am so looking forward to reading your posts in the next 31 days. I feel like even when we have nothing going on I’m still trying to fill that space with preparations for the next thing… it is frustrating and exhausting. I feel like we’re never done. Anyway, I guess it’s hard for me to figure out how to clear the calendar, and live simply, while also nurturing relationships and community.
Colleen, you are SO right. I am so uncomfortable with white space that I’m always looking for ways to fill it. It’s a yucky cycle. I think, for me, what I hope for is that in clearing out the clutter and the calendar, it frees us up for relationship and community. We weren’t meant to spend all of our time alone. But we do need to be together and with others. But I don’t always have the time to just go get coffee with a friend or have a phone call with a family member because I’m rushing around too much.
I absolutely love this idea and cannot wait to read all about what this does for you and your family!
Prediction: you will get rid of more of your stuff than you ever thought possible.
Two and a half years ago we did a major move from a NYC suburb in NJ to Dallas. Listing our house was brutal–we did a total 100% committed purge and home stage (don’t laugh…complete with decorators and renting furniture), and got rid of SO much stuff. Then the house sold right away (really was a blessing!) and we were in a temporary apartment for four months finishing the school year, then summer with extended family and finally ending up in our new (almost twice the size) home in August…six months after we had initially gone to contract. I was so excited to have all of *my* things, but as crazy as it sounds, after living without things for so long I’d lost touch with why they were important and everything became just, well, stuff. It was especially good for my kids–they really took initiative themselves and really only kept the toys they played with and were special to them.
This made me so excited. I have some big plans for getting things out of here.
I love this series! We have said “no” to a lot of fun things the last 3 weekends which has been hard, but it has been so great to spend these weekends just relaxing with my family and enjoying beautiful weather. I hope I can create more white space in my life too!
This is so true! Yet why is it so hard? I feel like we are always trying to do this, trying to clear the calender, trying to say no to new commitments, trying to acquire less stuff but inevitably we always feel so busy and frazzled and disorganized. So I look forward to this series and what ideas/inspirations you have to share.
Yes. Me too. It’s always a big idea and I’m always looking for ways to simplify. That’s what I had to commit with this challenge.
Erin, you have no idea how badly I’ve been craving some ‘white space’ in my life right now. With a new baby, a full time job, a husband in medical school, and a house on the market, sometimes I feel like it’s all I can do to just get through each day. I need to make more of a concerted effort to breathe, be thankful for God’s blessings (of which there are so many), and to just allow my heart to settle. I tend to worry, worry, worry, so even in quiet moments – in which I could be relaxing and enjoying – I fill the space up with anxiety and stress. And I don’t want to do that anymore. The verse you shared spoke directly to my heart today. Thank you for that!
I love this series so much, already. This is big on my heart right now as I stare at blank walls in my house. I have an attic full of things from the old house but I just can’t seem to fill these walls with things just for the simple fact filling space. I want it to be real and meaningful and that translate to my life right now as well. I can’t feel a calendar or our days with things just to fill space, I need our time to count. I can’t wait for the rest of this series and I look forward to your sweet wisdom.
So good! I think its a great and intentional goal. It’s hard to clear off calendars and clean out closets. But relationships are so so important. Best of luck to you in this 🙂
This idea has really been on my mind lately. I sometimes feel like my house is overflowing with stuff. I’m spending time on fall cleaning over the next few months… cleaning out and donating much of what we don’t use to give us more white space. I’m really excited to read more of your thoughts this month!
Love this…such a struggle for so many of us…thank you for writing about it…excited to read about your journey…praying for you…
I’m so thankful that God laid this on your heart to write about! I am in such a place of not knowing just what kind of white space I need… do I work on this before the baby comes or just wait until we move to a new home? You’ve already inspired me to work on this now… no waiting necessary and a little bit at a time. So grateful for you and your friendship! Love you!
Thank you for sharing this! Such a great reminder that we can be content with the little things.
Love this topic so much! I am so looking forward to following along on your journey and I am certain that I will learn right along with you on how to create more white space in my own life! It’s coming at a perfect time for me! Love you! xoxo!
I don’t have a lot of time to read blogs, but yours is one that I read nearly every day. And even tho I don’t know you…and I’m about 100 years older than you…I just have to say that I’m so proud of all of you young wives and mothers for making a commitment to slow down and really focus on what’s really important in life. I know it’s hard. It was hard when mine were little…it’s hard now that they’re not. I think it was Beth Moore who said, “the years are short but the days are long.” Or something to that effect. I commend you for your determination to make the days count. And I pray that you will be encouraged in this 31 day journey.
I feel like you’re writing from my heart. My husband and I moved into the basement of our friends home last fall with our then 18 month old daughter. since then, we’ve had another baby and like you, have accumulated stuff in every aspect of our life. we’re hoping to buy a home before the end of the year! but yes, white space. i so need it. can’t wait to read along!
Totally Feel ya! I sort of have that as a new years resolution this year and I read this book in January that is really helpful toward that goal. You would really enjoy it, its by a Christian author Jen Hatmacker that I am sure you are familiar with!
Here is the link http://www.amazon.com/Experimental-Mutiny-Against-Excess-ebook/dp/B006O34NKK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1380720976&sr=8-1&keywords=7+book
it was really compelling… in so many ways. spiritually and just in cleaning out the physical clutter
Thank you for posting about this.. My heart is right here with you needing and desiring the same things.. I’ve been telling my mom got a couple weeks that I’ve got to get rid of the clutter and I dont just mean “stuff”. I feel like your personal challenge has also challenged me.. If that makes any sense.. I’m looking forward to the journey..
I love this post and theme- especially the verse at the end. It is so so true! I actually went to a reiki appointment (i plan to blog about it) and it made realize that sometimes all of the “stuff” we accumulate (ie material stuff, dumping all of these “have to” events, etc onto our life is what causes all of my worry and such.
What a great theme for the next 31 days!
thanks so much…need this today…