So how did I get to the point when I realized I needed white space?
Here’s where it gets a little ugly and messy.
I can be going along about my day, feeling like I’ve got it all together. I have my calendar with a perfectly scheduled day. There are a lot of notes and to-dos on the calendar. A lot of commitments. But none of them are overlapping, so it’s fine.
It’s fine.
There is room for everything. I can do all the things. I can please everyone. I can serve whenever someone asks me to.
These statements, my friends, are lies. I cannot do all of those things. I just can’t.
The beauty in white space is that it allows us to notice and appreciate the good things. That empty space gives us room to look at what we have and say, “this is good.” To enjoy it the way God wants us to.
And when I’m serving and moving and committing from one thing to another because I think that’s what God wants me to do? How often is God glorified in those situations? There’s no time to give Him glory during all of that crazy. There’s no time for Him to move in me.
What does the white space give me that I don’t have?
In the spiritual and emotional sense, it gives me time to connect. Time for relationship. Time to have long phone calls about nothing with a dear friend. Time to sit on the floor and play with my kids without losing my patience because my list is screaming at me from the other room.
In the physical sense, it gives me room to breathe. Less stress over the clutter and the constant need for cleaning. It gives me an appreciation for the blessings we have. It gives my kids an appreciation for the toys they have.
Just like my friend Ellen, I am on a journey trying to teach my heart what my head already knows. I need the white space. I want it. I know what benefits it will bring. But I just don’t have it yet.
Tomorrow, I’m going to address the subject of fear and striving and how that keeps me from my white space. Ouch.
This is the 3rd post in a 31 day series on Creating White Space.
Just yes. To all of it. Love you!
You’re teaching me a lot, friend!
Oh yes, this is good stuff! White space is so very important. It aids in bringing stillness to the soul, which creates peace. This is a great topic! Love it!
this is good stuff, erin! i’m SO guilty of doing things halfway because i’ve got a “to-do” list screaming at me from another room. when in all actuality, the task at hand (like just playing with my girls!) is SO much more important and life-giving than those pesky little things i *have* to do. thanks for the reminder! 🙂
I love how you said white space gives up time to see “this is good.” I think that is so important. I’ve started just having quiet time with my computer and bible study while my kids naps, and I feel so refreshed and ready to face the rest of the day. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of your posts. Been reading your blog several years- keep up the good work! You are reaching out to a lot of people!
Reading your series is going to be SO good for my heart…I can already tell. I think it was Lara Casey that said she only puts five things on her to do list per day. Need to incorporate that back into my life. To be still!
I need to learn to embrace the concept of white space. Even when we’re not running 100 mph, which is rare, I can’t seem to stop. I have to do just one more thing. Laundry, cleaning, bills . . . I’m not saying to let my home and our lives “go to the dogs”, but I’ve got to learn to turn it off.
“Time to sit on the floor and play with my kids without losing my patience because my list is screaming at me from the other room.” <– That's what I want. And I think it will take more white space in my head and heart than in my home to create it. SIGH. Let's do this, friend.
I am late in catching up on blogs, but I love that you are doing this. I desperately need white space right now in my life – feeling so overwhelmed. I’m looking forward to your posts!