8/30/2023 0 Comments Daily declutter calendarIt’s where we quiet our minds long enough to hear God’s voice and discover how to learn through silence. White space is the antidote to a chaotic, distracted life. It was in that place that God showed me I needed to do some pruning of my own – trimming anxious thoughts, unnecessary time commitments, and unhealthy habits so my family and I could grow and flourish. I started examining my thoughts and behaviors and realigning them with God’s Word. When my marriage hit a rocky season and I began diligently seeking God, the white space I’d taken for granted became a sacred space to rest, reflect, and connect with my Creator. The truth is, starting when I did put undue stress on my family and distracted me from the very thing I needed to embrace. Other women encouraged me to start while my kids were young – to show other moms they could manage their homes and their businesses while maintaining a healthy balance between the two. I signed up for classes and started fitness coaching with two toddlers and a third child on the way. When I first became a stay-at-home mom the “white space” on my calendar felt uncomfortable, so I filled it. I encourage you to take a few minutes to watch it and consider how it applies to your life. It accurately describes the state of our world today – busy, burdened, and distracted from the things that truly matter. Through condemnation and accusation, he tries to steal our peace and joy.Ī few months ago, I stumbled upon this video, Distracted, and it brought me to tears. In keeping us focused on selfish motives and societal norms he succeeds in taking our focus off of God’s Kingdom. He knows he can’t steal our salvation, so he steals our time. The enemy knows he can’t take away God’s Word, so he distracts us from it. The hardened path represents the person with the hardened heart and the bird represents the enemy. In this parable, Jesus is the sower and the seed is the Word of God. Whoever has ears, let them hear.” Matthew 13:1-9 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. In the book of Matthew, Jesus shares this story with the crowd of followers on the shore: What might happen if we applied the same practice to our own lives? How might our lives look different if we removed the things that no longer belong or are crowding our growth to make room for the things we want to flourish? How can we prune our time commitments and daily distractions until our calendar becomes a reflection of what we most care about? The simple practice of pruning made a tremendous impact on the health of the plant. It wasn’t long before I had thicker foliage and more flowers. So, I began to set aside a few minutes a day to remove dead leaves and petals, trim overgrown branches, and thin dense areas to make room for new growth. Together, we mapped out where each flower and shrub would go and I filled up my Tahoe with fertilizer, potting soil, and plants of all different varieties.Īt first, my garden flourished, but while showing it off to a friend a few weeks later, I noticed many of my flowers were withering. I researched flower types and made an appointment with a landscaper. I’ve never had much of a green thumb, but last spring I decided to give gardening another try. “A life devoted to things is a dead life, a stump a God-shaped life is a flourishing tree.” Proverbs 11:28 MSG
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