Judging Space

As I was travelling along a busy main road recently I needed to make quite a serious decision in judging the space between a tractor which was going along slowly in front of me and other vehicles coming ahead of me. I did not have long to make the decision and it was obviously a vital one! It made me realise just how important space is.

Space is something we use every single day. It can be something which is incredibly positive, or it can be something which is the opposite and cause us tension and stress. It can also be something which challenges us and demands a decision from us.

As I have been involved in growing our ‘Creativity’ courses within the ministry, I have had a growing awareness of how wonderful space is. God created space! We all know and believe He created matter but, for whatever reason, it had never occurred to me that He also created space.

I have taught countless times, that God created us as unique individuals with our own personhood, gifts and talents and that in His love He has given us the precious gift of free will. However, if He had done this alone it would be useless without the gift of space. Space enables us to move and express ourselves. Yet, today we space can be highly contested in our lives. Space soon becomes used or crowded out!

Space goes along with time. On the busy road I was judging whether I had the time to take advantage of the space. If there had been no other cars around I could have easily overtaken as there would have been plenty of space. However, the space was connected to time and other cars on the road. It needed my judgement.

We all need to ensure that God’s principles for our wellbeing are well judged. We need space as part of the expression of who we are. We need personal space without others around in order to touch our own personhood and to give ourselves the freedom to ‘be’ rather than to ‘do’. We need space for our time in personal relationship with God. We also need space for friendships and family. We need space for our workload and to carry out the tasks allotted to us.

Space is a wonderful gift. Thankfully, God has also created ‘time’ which goes along with space and He has set us limits, and those limits are for our good. One of those limits which goes along with a limit of time and space is energy. This challenges us as to ask how do we live within those limits and how do we order our lives accordingly? Sometimes, I look at my home and the accumulated ‘stuff’ which needs sorting. I feel the need to de-clutter and amazingly, when I do give time and space to sorting and tidying, I have a sense of well being! Space and time to create space and time is a worthwhile investment!

I guess, we all need to go the Lord of time and space and ask Him to help us order, re-order and to create the precious principles of space and time and use of energy within our lives so that we can judge them rightly for our own safety and wellbeing and for others who are in relationship with us. How we use our limited space and time can be life changing or life threatening!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, today I specifically ask You to be Lord of my space and time. Please help me to bring balance and order into my life according to Your principles and limits for my wellbeing and help me to reduce risks of burn out, stress and lack of peace because I have not judged the space in my life rightly. Amen.