Creating Space for Something New!
What's on my mind this morning? Creating space for something new! In the past 24 hours, you've most likely heard or read about the plans people have for new habits or goals in their lives, or you've been trying to make some decisions about your own life in 2018. It's a natural tendency to start something new or adopt a new plan at the beginning of a new year, or a new week, or even a new age.
We are a redemptive people - we want and need a second (or third, or...) chance. One of the biggest challenges for any of us who want something to be different in our lives, is finding the space to make the change. It makes sense that if our new goals require time out of our schedule, then we need to add another component to the plan, which begins with the question: What will I trade or delete out of my current plan in order for the new thing to have the needed space to grow? New habits and goals take effort and need room in our lives to take hold so that real transformation can occur. If we just add 2 or 3 new habits to our to-do list without making room for them it's just more on top of what is probably a full load, already, for most of us.
To create space for change in my own life, I've learned not only the value of space, but its necessity. It took me a long time to figure out that if I was going to stick with a movement plan, I needed to find a time for this activity that didn't have any schedule conflict. So, 5:30 a.m. on T/Th is where it is! (Yes, it was a very cold 16 degrees this morning on the way in!) What got moved/deleted? My sleep. Now sleep has become a very important priority (I try really hard to get 8 hours a night - it pays off, too), so I go to sleep earlier on Monday and Wednesday evenings. The point is, I needed to have nothing else that could easily take the place of intentional movement. Trust me, I never have any meetings scheduled for that hour! (I know, many of your are shaking your heads, but it has worked for me for almost 4 months now.) [2019 Update: It’s M-W-F at 6:15 a.m. now and I’ve been doing this for a year!]
For the past 4 years, my life has slowly been waking up to something else, something new. It began with movement, which I believe is at the heart of transformation of most kinds. At least, it has been for me. In the process of becoming more aware of my body (its strengths and weaknesses), I've opened up emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. This past fall, I stepped away from full time music ministry after 26 years of serving. Without a doubt, it is the most courageous thing I've ever done. God is wanting to birth something new. And for something new to be born in me, I needed to create space for it, to have the room required. Even as I tried to be open to the changes God was calling forth, I didn't have the time to devote to it. My plate was too full and my work habits were pretty set in their ways. I still don't understand all of it because I'm in a gestation period, but I'm living into this very open space (my calendar is very white) and listening to the guidance of the Spirit. The heart of this time is intentional intimacy with God. Reading, praying, meditating, listening...which all require space. As I work hard to go deeper with God, I'm making new choices about how to spend my time and the community I'm choosing to be part of building.
I don't know what's on your mind for this new year, and I'm certainly not suggesting anything quite so drastic as stepping outside of the comfort and familiarity of a profession, but what I am suggesting is that whatever you feel called upon to change in your life, it will come more easily with ample space around it to support it - to give it room. Our lives are desperate for margin - white space (look at your calendar and try to get some more of it). Our chock-full lives are so crammed that we can't even scratch the surface of full living. I worked with a pastor once who frequently said, “You can't do everything and do it well.” So, what is it that your heart is longing for in this new year? What is God calling forth from you - FOR you? Listen to it, plan for it, create space for it, and then let it be born in you!
Much love and peace to you in this new season of your life. May you see and experience God's abundance and freedom, may you be in tune with the Spirit's leading, and may you be more of who you were created to be each and every day!