Making Room for Change: Are we Cheating our own Souls?

Too Busy Is Too Exhausted

Life is busy. There is just too much each and every day to do. Whether it’s a job, spouse, notifications, emails, demands placed on us, never ending chores, kids, school, sports, church, mowing the lawn, paying bills, deadlines, dinner… the list goes on and on. Our lists just leave us plain old exhausted. No one these days would ever argue that position. So how do we make time for the secret place? How does one find peace with so much to do and so much commotion? How does one find meaning in it all? When do you find that little bit of time where your spirit can finally rest? Most importantly, when do you finally find the purpose God made you for? When will things stop long enough for you to get your brain on straight?

What about those important things for personal growth you have been saving until you had more time to deal with it? 

Spiraling into a flurry of stress, worry, and frustration, we are often on the verge of breakdown daily. All these are common thoughts and worries that many carry in their hearts inside a world built on, well, distractions. Constant distractions. Do you feel it? Do you feel notified and reminded to death? Getting nothing done fast in a world that constantly reminds you that you are behind? I did. I longed to know God personally–hearing His heart for me–because somewhere in all the madness, I knew I had a greater purpose. A purpose I could only fulfill if I truly knew His heart for me and walked with Him daily. DAILY. That seemed impossible to me. Like from a different planet impossible.

Heroes of the Bible Made Room for Change

I knew different individuals in the Bible made time for God. They heard Him, prophesied His heart, and spent time with Him. The power of the Holy Spirit filled them. Some glowed and spoke to God face to face. Two were taken to heaven supernaturally, without dying because they were such close friends of God. They walked in power, authority, and personal friendship with the Living God, and that was just the Old Testament! What about the New Testament apostles? They spent time with the Messiah, and did life with the Messiah! They were mentored by the King of Kings. Their whole lives changed when Jesus chose them, and they chose to leave their normal lives back in the dust. They made room for change.

Making Room for Change

They made room for something greater, something that would change them and fill them with relationship and power. This power was something I knew was available to me, but was largely unknown to me. Power. What was that? I was struggling to just get through my email and dinner on the table everyday! How would I ever get there? My pleadings to the Father seemed to go up to heaven and back to me unanswered. I knew well what the problem was, and deep down inside I also knew the solution. I just had not made time. How could I? Someone once said that you make time for what you think is important to you.  For me, I was not prioritizing what mattered. My heart wanted the change, but I simply had not prioritized it all.

Are We Cheating Our Own Souls?

Somehow, we all seem to have time to put out fires and the have to’s, and maybe a little time on the weekend to finally sit down, but how much of the to do list that you serve daily is really caused by our own bondage and our own constraints?  ‘I have to do this’. ‘I have to do that’. Do you? Are others around you capable of doing what you’re doing? Maybe they don’t do it quite like you. Do we have a need to control something? What I’m getting at is this. Sometimes, we think we don’t have time for the secret place when we actually do. We keep ourselves so busy with stuff to do that we cheat ourselves out of what our own souls and spirits need–Time with our Beloved Creator. 

What Your Soul Truly Longs for is Only Found in the Secret Place

True change, joy, power, companionship, peace, contentment, purpose, healing, friendship, and so much more are found only in the secret place.  His heart is to love us. Not from afar. The Lord desires we know Him and love Him personally and relationally. He wants us to delight in Him and He in us!  He desires we have life and have it more abundantly too!  God knew we’d have an enemy that would love to steal, kill, and destroy in our lives. 

Life to the Fullest and More Abundant!

“The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].” John 10:10 AMP.

How can we have abundant life if we are too busy serving our never-ending to-do list, staying on social media, or exhausting ourselves into oblivion?  When will we ever know how to combat the enemy of our soul that the Lord wants us to combat in order to have this abundant life He talks about? At what point do we decide to live a life without regrets? At what point do we make room for change? If not now, when?

Time Waits for No One

None of us is getting any younger. Sometimes putting off today may just mean it will never happen. Unfortunately, not being more purposeful in what we choose to participate in now will rob us of our greater purpose. The greatest purpose that we have as believers in Christ is to serve, worship, and enjoy our Savior and our God. Alternatively, the greatest privilege we have is to know our Lord personally and be known. If we know these great purposes and privileges why don’t we make more time for them? Why isn’t that the ‘thing’ we want to do and invest time in? 

Releasing Control and Making the Most of Our Time

For me, I found I had to lay down things I was holding on to. I had to look realistically at what I was doing everyday. How much of it could someone else do? What was I obsessing over? What truly needed doing and what could be done at other times? We need to come to a point where we live purposeful lives, working toward the ultimate goal we know we should achieve. Ephesians 5:15-16 says it rightly:

“Look carefully then how you walk!  Live purposefully, and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people), making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity] because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-16 AMP

The Good News is that We Get to Choose to make room for change

The Apostle Paul, the author of Ephesians, knew how important it was not to let our days get away from us! Not being purposeful consistently in what truly mattered for eternity would allow evil in our lives. How quickly the enemy comes in to take away what is given to us as a gift! The good news is we get to choose. We get to choose to keep the enemy at bay and choose to make room for change in our lives, to live more purposefully for the Kingdom of God and to enjoy our Creator. I promise you it is worth it and it can be done. Yes, even in your busy life. Once you start actively making room for Your Savior to be a part of your day, you will see such rewards in your life, and you will wonder why you waited so long to do it.

Don’t Beat Yourself Up

Don’t beat yourself up. We’ve all struggled with it. Consistency is the key. Not perfection. Not legalism. Enjoyment of the Lord and His enjoyment of you is the goal. That includes a lot that we will discuss in another blog post, but for now, practice carving out the time, making room for change, and the most rewarding relationship you will ever have. Get up earlier if you have to. He is worth the loss of sleep. He is a treasured friend. Treat Him as if He is important to you, and the rewards of doing so will be immeasurable. You won’t want to stop. You will find the satisfaction your soul has needed all along, and it will cause the rest of your day to feel like it falls in line as it should; at least in how you view it with your Savior on your side.

Delighting Yourself in the Lord

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and petitions of your heart.” Psalm 37:4 AMP

Delight. Delighting in the Lord just means enjoying Him. Finding your joy in Him. Searching for something and finding the solution in Him. Being loved and feeling loved by Him. All that comes from time spent with Him. Learning to delight in Him won’t come all at once, but rather, as you diligently and consistently seek Him and find Him. Don’t be impatient. Don’t expect closeness to happen overnight. Friendships aren’t made in a day or a week. They are consistently encountered as you give your honest self and receive mercy and grace from a loving friend. 

Being Earnest and Diligent to make room for change

“But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6 AMP   

He’s waiting for you, my friend, and he’s ready to give you rest. He’s ready to give you peace and purpose, and for you to find His heart. How will you make room for change and the greatest friendship you will ever know? Once you get started, you may find your busyness is not as overwhelming as you once thought. 

Making Room For Him Breeds Encounter

You may just encounter the Living God yourself in a way you never expected. One that now, you simply cannot live without; one that gives you purpose and meaning in your life where you only had busyness. Find Him. He’s waiting for you. I promise you will never do life the same again. It’s in the process of finding Him that you will find life and life more abundantly. (John 10:10)

To your beautiful transformation,

~~Sharla Fauver 🙂