A few thoughts on empty spaces

Yes, this is a very short episode and a conversation about having empty spaces in your life. Hopefully this is helpful to you.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
In this episode of Balancing the Christian Life, I
talk about the importance ofempty time.
Welcome to Balancing theChristian Life.
I'm Dr Kenny Embry.
Join me as we discover how tobe better Christians and people
in the digital age.
I want to try something.

(00:21):
This is different than aregular episode where I
interview somebody who I thinkis smarter than I am.
I usually try to script myepisodes out pretty carefully,
but in this one I just want totalk to you.
I don't know where you are andI don't know what you're doing,
but my life has gotten busyagain.

(00:42):
I love my job and I love helpingstudents figure out their lives
between the ages of 18 and 22.
There's a special thing thathappens around that age Students
start figuring out that theiridentities are less entangled
with their parents and theystart figuring out their own
identities.
I know that I have to oftenstruggle with my own identity as

(01:05):
well.
It's fun watching them grow.
It's fun watching them change,but one of the things that I've
learned as I've gotten older isthere's often a time that I need
negative spaces in my life.
I'm not sure about you, but mylife is filled with busyness and
noise and distractions.

(01:27):
We often need to createintentional negative space,
these margins in our scheduleswhere there are no obligations.
This isn't empty time, or maybeI should say it this way it is
empty time.
It is intentionally empty timewhen you slow down and think

(01:51):
about things and prioritize yourtime with God.
I think it's easy for us to getcaught up in all the things
that need to get done, but noton a definite schedule.
In this 46th Psalm we're told bestill and know that I am God.

(02:14):
I will be exalted among thenations.
I will be exalted in the earth.
I don't think that's Godlooking for a power trip, nor
does he need all the attention.
But I think what he is doing ishe's saying I've got this, I'm
the one who's in control, I'mthe one who has everything on my

(02:36):
shoulders, so please take itoff yours.
Jesus often withdrew to lonelyplaces.
We read about that a lot in theGospels.
I'm thinking right now aboutLuke, chapter five, and one of
the things that Isaiah says isin repentance and rest is your

(02:59):
salvation.
In quietness and trust is yourstrength.
Let's be clear the strength isin ours, the strength is God's.
I'm not nearly as smart as Ithink I am.
I'm not nearly as strong as Ithink I am and I have so little

(03:20):
control over what's going onaround me.
The Bible tells us to spend timein silence and reflect on God
Again, be still.
One of the things that gives usthat margin is being able to

(03:42):
say no to things that aresometimes good but sometimes
distracting.
In Exodus, the 14th chaptersays this the Lord will fight
for you.
You need only to be still.
Yes, I know I'm wrenching thatout of context, but we're not

(04:08):
very good at being still.
I've heard it called the dosomething disease, and sometimes
God tells us you can do nothing.
So let me fight this.
In Exodus 33, god makes thispromise my presence will go with

(04:31):
you and I will give you rest.
It's being reminded of thesethings.
That's helpful for me.
God provides us both the spaceto reflect on His character and
how he works in our lives.
I don't know that we often slowdown and think about the ways

(04:54):
that God is acting in our lives,and don't take that in a
strange way.
I will be very frank with you.
I don't know how he acts in ourlives and I worry about people
who say that they do know.
Yes, I know he has given us Hisword, but if he directly acts

(05:17):
in my life, I don't know.
I'm happy for Him to dowhatever he wants to, though,
because whatever he ends updoing ends up being good for me.
It is often in silence where ourbusy minds and our busy
schedules allows us to hearGod's voice clearer.

(05:38):
I'm not talking about a literalvoice, but I am saying that
when you have the time to think,it gives you time to
contemplate what God does For me.
It's easy to get overwhelmedwith thoughts about the
worst-case scenario.

(05:59):
In 2 Corinthians, paul has thisto say.
In chapter 10, verse 5, he sayswe demolish arguments and every
pretension that sets itself upagainst the knowledge of God,
and we take captive everythought to make it obedient to

(06:23):
Christ.
Christ is the one that's incontrol.
God is the one that's incontrol.
So how do you do any of this?
Being silent helps us align ourthoughts with God's plans.
Regular times in silence helpus to focus on God.

(06:46):
So find some time, think aboutwhat God wants us to do.
Take a walk, slow down and letme pray.

(07:07):
Dear God, we need help, andoften more help than we know we
need.
We have the illusion that we'rein control of a lot of stuff.
There are some things that areabsolutely under our control.
Help us to do the things thatwe can do, but show us our

(07:29):
limits.
Show us what we cannot do.
Show us a picture of where youwant us to be.
We have a one track mind.
We often have a definite planof where we want to be.
Help us to come in morealignment with what you want.

(07:55):
There are a lot of things we'reworried about.
We know you told us not to, butwe do it anyway.
Help us to worry less, or atleast to give you the stuff that
we cannot take ourselves.
We love you, lord, butsometimes we're not very good at

(08:18):
showing that, so help us tolearn what love means.
We also realize, lord, thatlove means we do stuff for other
people, so help us to beintentional about that.
Help us to be good to otherpeople.

(08:39):
Help us to help them.
Help us to focus less onourselves.
Help us to be less selfish andhelp us to be more like you.
Help us to have a life that isused for service.

(09:00):
Forgive us when we do the wrongthing and help us recognize
what that wrong thing was.
We realize, lord, your law isnot something you made up just

(09:20):
to watch us go through hoops.
By following your law, you makeus better.
You make us more like you.
Be with our friends, be withour family.
Help us to learn to love otherpeople more.
Help us to be servants.

(09:43):
In Christ's name, we pray, amen.
I hope that helps you.
I know this is a lot differentthan what I usually do, but I
hope this is something thathelps you, centered for just for
today.
I've been toying with doing alot of these because I think

(10:04):
they're short and for me they'reuseful.
So until next time, let's begood and do good.