WHITE SPACE
"But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer." Luke 5:16 (NLT)
If your calendar is full, you don’t have options, do you? To say yes to something tomorrow, you have to say no to something today.
God’s divine appointments most often happen in the white space.
Worship takes place in the white space. Worship should be a dedicated time each morning, but it is also a time of built-in margin between projects and appointments when you can relax and renew in His presence. Think of it like a heavenly coffee break. This will never just happen. You have to schedule “nothing” the same way you schedule “something.”
Oswald Chambers said, “You should keep your life so constantly in touch with God that His surprising power can break through at any point. Live in a constant state of expectancy, and leave room for God to come in as He decides.” That's good. Read it again!
White space is essential if you want time for relationships. I remember a day (this was a warmer day) when my time was mapped to the second. Mike asked me if I wanted to sit on the front porch and rock with him for a little while. My first response was "No." My day was planned tightly. I knew I would never get it all done if I pulled away for even half an hour to just rock. Conviction from the Holy Spirit came almost immediately. I dropped everything and went outside. My soul and our relationship were refreshed. The plans I had for the day were my plans and not God’s plans.
White space in your life is essential if you want to have time for creativity. Creativity can't thrive in the midst of stress. Creativity requires an atmosphere conducive to reflection. Regimentation without relaxation will never produce something beautiful. It will only produce the practical and the predictable.
White space in your life is essential to hear the still, small voice of God. Noise, clutter, and busyness block out the whisper of the Holy Spirit. White space should be quiet space. It should be time to renew. Nothing should be scheduled in the white space. Just space.
If I were to write without a differentiation between paragraphs, it would be difficult to read. Your life needs some space between events. When you're out of town, don’t schedule anything the day before or the day after. Don’t go from one appointment right into the next. Even Jesus sought to withdraw to a quiet place to pray when He was drained. You must do the same.
