Do you ever wish you could just slow down and discover who you’d be if your life wasn’t filled with so much rush?
The other day my friend told me she felt lost: lost in the hurry of carpool and kids, deadlines and dirty laundry… and she was tired, and I shared with her some things I’ve been learning through my friend Bonne Gray’s beautiful book Finding Spiritual Whitespace: Awakening Your Soul to Rest.
In, Bonnie shares how “underneath all of the stress and expectations we put on ourselves, and the ones that others put on us, our souls long for space to breathe.” Bonnie calls it “soul rest: a place where we can rest, not in what we could be or what we should be, but just as we are. Jesus invites us to come to Him when we’re struggling and carrying heavy loads, so He can give us rest.”
Today I’ve invited, Bonnie to share a peek into her heart and inside the pages of her beautiful book, Finding Spiritual Whitespace.
“I once felt lost and tired.
Even though no one could tell. By looking at my life from the outside.
But, deep inside, in my secret heart of hearts, I’ve always wanted something I could never quite keep a hold of — not long enough to make it my everyday home. For my soul and for the me that wanted to be free.
I’ve always wanted to know who I really could be — if I was free to rest.
Do you ever wish life could be different? That somehow you could just rest?
Underneath all the stress, the expectations we put on ourselves and the ones others put on us, we all long for space.
Space to breathe.
Space to just be me.
Where we can be real.
To take care of our hearts, with the grace and kindness we often pour out to others.
We don’t want to be numb anymore.
Just doing. Coping. Surviving.
All the while, there is a part of us that longs to come alive.
The part of us who longs for beauty, even though the daily road feels rough. Or even broken.
The part of us who remembers what it’s like to have desires is hungering for quiet. For rest.
Who wants to feel more intimately connected with God.
To our dreams.
To our stories.
To who we really are deep inside.
Who doesn’t want to hide.
Who longs to be known.
With others.
A Deeper Part
There’s a deeper part of us who longs to uncover the stories we’re living in our everyday lives — hidden — so that they can be shared.
We don’t want to journey alone.
We don’t have to.
What we all long for is deeper rest.
Refreshment.
Comfort.
Real conversation.
Encouragement.
Peace.
Beauty.
As is.
What we all long for is soul rest.
Soul rest is a kind of rest we can savor — not as we should be. Nor as we ought to be.
We can enjoy rest for our souls — as we are.
This ache for soul rest is something Jesus longs to touch.
It is an ache that Jesus himself must have also felt as He journeyed in-the-the-skin through the realities of daily life.
Jesus invites us to experience this rest — by offering us an invitation.
If we dare to take the journey.
“Are you tired? Worn out?
Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.
For I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Jesus’s invitation, Matthew 11:28-30
Will you dare to rest? Will you dare to be real?
To whisper —
I am tired.
But, I still carry dreams. Desires. A story.
I want to be happy.
I miss the quiet.
I want to feel.
I want to let go of who I’ve been — so I can discover who I can be — when I take the time to rest.
I want to be present.
I want to love. And be loved.
Jesus invites us on a new journey.
To pause.
To draw close.
To come into an intimate special space.
The rest we all long for really can be found.
Dare to take a new journey.
Create space in your life.
Feed your soul.
So you can care for what’s tender.
Because behind your most tired moments lie the deepest parts of who God made you — longing to be known and restored.
You’re loved.
You’re cherished.
You’re worth it.
The real you.
If you dared to rest — to uncover the real you God made — what would you want more of? What would you want less of? What can feed your soul today?”
How many of us find ourselves running on empty with no time for rest, no time for ourselves, and no time for God? Bonnie Gray knows what that’s like. On the brink of fulfilling a lifelong dream, she saw her plans shatter into a journey through painful memories and anxiety. In her search for answers, she made an important discovery: we all need spiritual whitespace.
Infused with biblical encouragement and thought-provoking prompts, Finding Spiritual Whitespace shows us how to create space in the everyday for God, refreshment, and faith—right in the midst of our stress-frayed lives. And it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time in my life personally. I’ve loved reading this book {more than once}, and I know you will too!
Order a copy here.
Enter to WIN:
What is one way you could carve out time for whitespace and rest this summer? Let’s take time this summer to let our souls be breathe. Click “share your thoughts” and leave a comment under this blog post to enter. Two winners will be selected and announced next week. {if you are reading this via email, please click here to participate in the giveaway on my blog!}
Bonnie Gray is contributor at Crosswalk.com, Relevant Magazine, and DaySpring (in)courage. A UCLA graduate, Bonnie has been missionary, ministry entrepreneur and Silicon Valley high-tech professional. Bonnie blogs at FaithBarista.com in Northern California with her husband Eric and their two sons.
I found some white space fishing at a pond with my family. There was a nice breeze in the shade and I fell asleep.
Just hung a hammock between the Aspen trees in my yard. This Sabbath I took a few minutes to just relax, breathe and watch the leaves dance in the breeze. It was like heaven on earth for a few minutes!
Oh my this just reading this blog has sent my mind swirling. I am in need of whitespace. I’ve read some of these posts and we are ALL facing battles. My brother died back in October and it has sent my life into a tornado just swirling about, I have stayed close to Jesus and He called me out of my job as my church secretary and everything is just confusing for me right now. I haven’t slept good in months and I am having difficutlies forgiving things of the past and those who hurt my dear brother (he died of natural causes but he was so beaten down emotionally). I am thankful for those who have the gift of writing such books as this, that make us dig deep within ourselves. Thank you and have a blessed day 🙂
I try to spend time early in the morning doing my devo. Jesus needed time alone therefore we should too.
After a year I’m still feeling lost. … a divorce , the murder of my 31 yr old brother by his wife’s hands and me trying to find myself after years of abuse. For me I need to carve out time of sleep to just be quiet and find out who I am and who God made me to ve, my purpose.
I’m weary…already…and we are deep in the midst of this battle called ‘cancer’ …. my husband has been diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive form of pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer…”incurable,” we’ve been told…but our Abba is Jehovah Rappha…THE God Who Heals…and, is faithful…one day at a time we praise and thank Him for the healing that’s on the way…according to His will…His timing…on one side of heaven or the other…in the Mighty Name of Jesus…
I go in phases with this. Sometimes I am really good at carving out time and other times I get so caught up in the craziness of being a mom to small kiddos. Things get going so fast that I usually don’t realize how wound tight I am until I’m close to a breakdown. I’m learning that rest for me isn’t always a nap (although a lot of the time it is!) but a ride alone in the car, reading, a real conversation, or doing something to take care myself. Im excited about this book because I need inspiration for keeping my quiet time the top priority!
Wow! My husband andnI both lost our jobs within weeks if each other due to cut backs. It was a total shock to us. We have three children, and my husband is a part tume music leader at our church. So to take time for me, to rest, are very difficult. This book is exactly what I neex.
Great subject that Bonnie is covering – can’t wait to read this!
I know how important having white space can be in my life. I’ve been struggling the last few years trying to find it, and when I get a few moments where I have it, it’s like coming up for that big gulp of air after jumping into the deep end of a swimming pool. You don’t realize how depleted you are until you’re gulping that “air”. My problem is finding it daily. The demands of motherhood and a profession where I’m responsible for so many and so much, I admit that there are times I want to go far, far away and just be. I have found it is a choice to not allow the circumstances of my day rule over my time, but even then that becomes another thing I have to do. God has been good and gentle in teaching me to lean on His strength and to let go of being so responsible. I’m looking forward to reading this book and gaining more insight as to how create white space in my life.
Been searching for the next”right” book/devotional! This is perfect
How sad to read all these comments and see that we are all placing unreasonable demands on our time. So important to carve out some whitespace to be with the Lord.
I would love to get this book. It sounds amazing.
I try to set aside time in the morning. I also utilize time in the car to talk with God.
This is just what I need! I have many unrealistic expectations of myself, which has been a big part of finding myself in a place of being homebound with several health issues. Yet, I’m still struggling to really rest in the Lord. He has been nudging my heart daily- to let go, rest, listen & follow His lead through each moment. When I do, I am more able to see from His perspective, worry less, have renewed joy, have a sense of balance within myself & just BE. Sadly, this only last for a short part of the day. I’d love to return to the days when it was long-lasting! I believe God is giving me this time to focus on Him, His Word, truths, promises & desires for me. This will bring the best healing and the ability to give from an overflow of Him within me! I praise God for tools like your book!
I really thought I was the only one who put too many demands on myself. This book is just what I need. Hopefully I can make it a priority to read and learn to live my life, and to enjoy life as God intended.
Rest. Wow sometimes “rest” feels like it is a bad word. To rest is to feel guilty that your not doing something you ought to be doing. But in reality I long for rest… I put my “dead” phone on the charger and then sit on the porch swing and try to focus on nothing. Trying to just let myself be… To listen… To offer up my “here am I.” The older I get the more I discover there is so much I do not know. And wishing I had more time to learn and grow.
This book sounds wonderful! So needed by so many of us!
One moment I am sooo connected…and then, the next day….poof…everyday struggles and i just get tired. Tired of fighting, tired of the struggles, tired of the stress… all while making sure I steer clear of all my past demons…
Great exert from this book..thanks for sharing.
Wow! Reading the blog post about this book really hits home! I so want to read more! With my long commute to work, chores at home and stressful job I never have time for myself, and struggle to make time for my Bible. Most evenings I only sit down for a few minutes to eat dinner, then before I know it, it is 10:30 and I am too tired. My job is very busy, very stressful, many days I don’t even get a lunch break. I feel overwhelmed, exhausted, stressed. “our souls long for space to breathe” hits the nail on the head, that is exactly how I feel. I am too busy to breathe and just be me! I ache for time with my Bible, for Bible studies, for hobbies I haven’t touched in a few years. I seem to have lost myself in the stress and busy days. I am determined to find a way to read this!
I JUST sat down in tears, after a long day, just put the last load of laundry in, I said to myself, I’m so tired, I need to rest….I feel so grumpy and burned out in every way…then came upon this! Perfect timing.
Quiet time early in the morning. When the world is quiet and I can hear the still small voice of God.
I’ve tried not to overschedule my boy this summer. It’s ok to just veg because I know when school starts, it’s going to be crazy and chaotic again. Just trying to do nothing is harder than I thought it could be!
I have felt an emptiness that I keep thinking is from other factors, like exhaustion (no sleep with a 11 mo old who wakes frequently), lack of quiet time, lack of time with my husband, etc. But the deep truth has revealed itself to me a few times- I’m lacking quiet quality time with God. I need to reduce my time on social media (where I go when I need a break and have no energy to do anything else. Small bit by bit, I will seek God. Fill my soul, Lord.
Christian Zionism enables liberals to criticize Zionism without mentioning Jews. For example, the anti-racist magazine ‘Public Eye’ has just one article criticizing Zionism as racism – Christian Zionism: Public Eye magazine, 2009/10 – This example is not atypical of the left. It’s like the idea that Israel is a tool of whlvp/US/caeitaiist/imperialist/whateter. It gives you a warm fuzzy feeling.
Oh boy! I am not alone. This just sounds like my life.
This book seems to cover everything I really need to put into practice in my life right now. Would love to get the full scoop on how to find that white space!
This so spoke to me, I am a wife, mother and teacher and I know that tired feeling it has been a big thing this year for me. I know that God will give me rest he does. I have found my self longing just to rest I feel so out of anything to give to anyone most days. I need to have my cup refilled but finding time to get away to a ladies conference hasn’t work out this year so I am in a spiritual drought. I would like to get a copy of this book in order to fill my cup.
I long to just sit at the Savior’s feet, but I am in a whirlwind of constant chaotic activity. I work full time and have two kids that are 4 and 8. My marriage is teetering and I have contemplated leaving because of the dysfunction that my husband is involved in. I feel responsible for so much and so fearful and angry. My faith has always been very strong and still is, but I am absolutely exhausted. I spend time with the Lord everyday, but know that I have been not been fixing my eyes entirely on Him. It’s so often to press through in our own strength and to keep digging. Even though we may be catching glimpses of Him, it isn’t enough, He must be our number one priority and all else will fade away. God bless.
Oh, how this is something I so deeply need.
Crazy as it sounds, this Summer with College-aged sons and our work in full time ministry has been the busiest ever–juggling schedules, cars and just generally going non-stop. My morning quiet time is my lifeline but craving ‘white space’ in general….
A nice detox bath a couple times a week…ok, once a week 😉 Or even go out and walk around our 80 acres once a week – maybe even with My Man 😀 Or both! Now, to remind / make myself to do these things…