Make Room

During this last few weeks a song that has resonated with me is “Make Room” by Casting Crowns.  A line in the chorus that stands out says, “Is there room in your heart for God to write his story?  You can come as you are, but it may set you apart”. 
​

Those are such powerful words.  When thinking of making room what comes to the forefront of my mind is time.  “How are you?” “Busy”, we reply in some fashion. It seems like such a common response.  In many ways, it is a very truthful response. In other ways it is not. With each season of my life I have found a different level of busyness.  I thought I was busy in high school, but then I went to college while working two jobs. Then I attended graduate school full-time while juggling multiple jobs, a graduate assistantship, and an internship.  After one year of graduate school I got married, moved, and commuted further to college. 

After graduation I slowed down a bit and worked one full-time and one part-time job.  My time somehow was full again and “busy”. I should have had more free time considering having fewer responsibilities, but like most things in life, something else just came along and filled up my hours and days.

In 2009, we had our first baby girl.  While only working one full time job at this time, I had just gained new responsibilities at work and, as a new mom, the hours were quickly filled. Then came our second baby girl three and a half years later and in 2015 we welcomed our third baby girl.  As you can imagine, at this point I reached a whole new level of “busy”.  

Then just when I thought my life couldn’t hit a new level of busyness with being a wife, mom to three, and my job of leading a team that contained multiple counties and 60 staff, my mom was diagnosed with Leukemia.  Oh how I was wrong! Yet again, life took on yet another level of “busy”.

There is a whole new level of busyness when you work, are a wife, a mom, and now a caretaker to your own parent.  You literally just put one step in front of another and pray God will give you the strength. Even during this season there was still time to spend time with God and to make connections with others.  Because when I thought there wasn’t any more room in my life, God surrounded me with amazing people that could fill in the gaps where I couldn’t. Even when I thought there wasn’t time to eat or maybe I just didn’t want to because my mom couldn’t eat, I had amazing food delivered right to the hospital room from a dear friend. 

You really have to walk through a season of life before truly comprehending what something is like.  I have a new understanding of time really being what we fill it with. We have the power to say yes or to say no to things that compete for our time. We choose!  

I’m still trying to learn to navigate where I allot my time and how to balance it all.  I feel like I learn new lessons every day. I have been doing this mom-of-three thing for 4 years now and I just feel like I’m starting to really get a handle on it all.  And with each new season life brings, I will need to continue to find a new balance.  

One thing that I continue to find essential is my quiet time in the early morning hours.  I have tried to accomplish this over the years and have been successful on and off, but nothing like the second half of 2019.  My focus words for the year were joy and present. These words will be ever present with me throughout 2020 and beyond! For 2020, I am excited to focus on building stronger connections with God and others.  
 
There wasn’t room for Mary, Joseph, and the soon to be baby Jesus at the inn.  But I bet if that innkeeper could go back in time he would “make room”. If he saw what Jesus did on the cross to save us from our sins, he would give up his own space and  time to help at that moment. Jesus taught us to make room in our hearts for God first, then next for others. He commanded it!

We read in Mark chapter 12: 28-31, Of all the commandments, which is the most important? “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

The heart in this passage means basically the center of all physical and spiritual life. I think our hearts can be stirred in either a positive way or a negative way.  So we are called to love with all of our heart and soul.  

If we do something with all of our minds typically we have put deep thought into it.  We have put focused effort around it. If we are truly present as we spend time with God then what soaks into our mind is so much more than anything we can imagine. When we love God this way it opens up the door to love people an entirely different way, and not just our neighbors.  What Jesus is saying here is to love ANY other person.  

Relationship Revival Reflections

Jesus said there were no other commandments greater than these.  So, I reflect on how I am doing as an individual. How are we doing as a family?  A community? A state or country? The world?  

What simple steps can I start today to increase connection with God? 

What simple steps can I take today to start increasing connections with others?  

As you reflect on these verses from Mark 12:28-31, insert your name.  

_______,  love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘______ love your neighbor as yourself.  

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank You for Your many blessings in 2019 and all of those to come for 2020.  Help me to stop and pause to reflect on blessings as they come. I pray that 2020 is used in such a way to build connections with You and others. Help me to come to you as I am.  Help me to dive into Your word and reflect on anything You would have me make room for. Help me to slow down and to create room where it is needed. Help me to build others up and offer grace more. Similar to the words in the song, “make room”, help me to make more room in my heart for YOU to write my story. 

In Jesus precious name,

Amen

Author: Heather Lynch

.