If you’ve ever been a diet, you know simply skipping dessert is not enough to see a change reflected on the scale. By the same token, you can end a toxic relationship, but if your thinking is the same, what’s to stop you from entering a similar situation with a different person? Last month, we discussed letting go of “normal” in order to embrace discomfort and simple living, but I want to challenge you further. Women of God, don’t just let go and live in an empty space. You’ve made the room; now, fill it with what matters!
- Be Intentional
Miracles don’t happen by accident; you must create an atmosphere in which the miraculous can occur. Be intentional with everything you do. This does not simply mean not ordering the cheesecake or ignoring a call from your cousin who loves to gossip! Just like being healthy requires exercise and a regular intake of water, a genuine friendship requires boundaries as well as realistic and mutual expectations. Skipping a meal or skipping a phone call is not the answer; replacing a bad habit with idle hands is just as harmful as not making any change in the first place.
Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water! It’s important for us to maintain relationships with others because friendship is necessary for mental well-being and the development of communities. As a result, if your cousin is just a little too negative, throw out any fear, throw out any spitefulness, and come to her with a gentle spirit to express your concerns. She might reveal her insecurity in friendships which prompts her to gossip about others. When you make room for understanding and honesty instead of allowing the easy, default mindset to take over your space, you have made room for a miracle.
- Be Still
Chances are, if you weren’t busy, your boss, family members, or children would quickly find something for you to do. Doing nothing is no good, as it usually translates to regressing; however, if there’s too much going on, too much noise, too much chatter, you need to make room to just be still. Some things just require total focus, total attention. You can’t allow all the chatter and noise to keep you from making room for meditation.
Steal away to a place of stillness, a place of quietness, a place where you can think, a place where you can hear, a place of peace. By making room for the opportunity to be alone, you acknowledge the importance of self-reflection and refocusing. In the midst of chaos and noise, your marriage might seem like it’s over, but if you set aside room for prayer and honesty, you just might realize that the situation is far from hopeless!
- Be Confident
Though an outfit might look pretty in the mirror, self-doubt can start to creep in, and you may wonder how to build confidence. Maybe you expressed a desire to buy a house with your husband and the whole family thinks you’re being ridiculous. It’s incredibly important for me to emphasize the importance of maintaining room for confidence. Of course, there’s a difference between being foolish and being self-assured, but sometimes, only you will be able to distinguish between them!
If you place yourself in line for marriage, others might make fun of you and say you’ll never get a husband, even though you know God put it in your heart to take some pride in yourself. People will laugh, but you know what? It doesn’t matter. In order for us to consistently make room for what matters, we’ve got to be receivers. We’ve got to make sure that we’re in the position where we can grab hold of what is meant just for us!
What’s Next?
When you get rid of large pieces of furniture, you become aware of all the space you have. There’s a temptation to fill it up again, but we must make sure we maintain room for what matters. We must keep our lives full of what is good. It doesn’t matter if I make room for a treadmill in my garage if I don’t make room in my daily schedule for exercise in my list of priorities. So be intentional, be still, and be confident!
