Making Space to Soar

“This clutter is really bothering me, do you mind if organize it?” 

I wondered what in my rather tidy house could be offending my nine-year-old niece so much that she wanted to clean it. 

I walked into the kitchen and found her standing in front of my refrigerator, studying the shelves. She didn’t like how things were arranged. 

I was a little surprised because honestly, there’s not much in my refrigerator. 

Some containers of strawberries, packs of yogurt, a carton of eggs and about 15 jars of jam is pretty much the extent of it. 

There aren't any abandoned takeout containers hiding in the corners or condiments that are years old.

But I told her to go ahead and move things around however she liked. 

She methodically checked the expiration dates on my cartons of half-and-half and moved the oldest items to the front. She organized my cheese by type and put all the jars on one shelf. 

I asked her why she didn’t tackle the refrigerator at her own house {since I was sure my sister would welcome the help}. She said hers is stocked pretty full but since mine was sort of empty, it was easier to move things around.

I guess when you or your life {or your refrigerator} is fairly empty, there’s room to be filled up.

I’ve been thinking about giving God access to move things around in my life. 

Oh I know he can move in our lives however he sees fit, but there’s something about offering ourselves to him and letting him rearrange those things that we hold on to and letting him rearrange us.  

Because there are so many preoccupations that vie for my attention. 

There's the job-stress {exasperating and recurring}, nagging worries {insignificant and vast}, and perplexing decisions {bulky and trivial}.

But mostly there's the continuous stream of a thousand thoughts that constantly call my name and never have an off-switch.

I'm not sure there is a serene and quiet place where all of it dissipates and unruffles and I feel unflustered and composed.

Life won't linger until everything is organized and sorted through and neatened up, will it? 

So maybe it’s time to make some space for the ordinary and the extraordinary. 

For a blaze of color and creation; breathtaking bliss and wonder; exciting enrichment and adventure; the familiar and unknown; for stillness and sweeping swaths of silence. 

Those are just a slice of the million and one things that are waiting for us to offer space and make room.

So when we fluff the cushions, take a seat and look out over the scenery of our lives, all that clutters is just waiting to be moved around. So we can spread our wings. 

And soar.

My niece was quite pleased with her work on my refrigerator shelves and turned her attention to the bags sitting on the floor we’d just brought in from the grocery store. 

“Now I’ll unpack all of these, arrange them in categories and I’ll hand them to you to put away,” she told me.

As I followed her direction, I thought that maybe since I've got more space in my refrigerator, I ought to do some cooking so I'll have leftovers to stock my shelves with. 

Or I could always just call for takeout. I've now got plenty of room for those cute little containers.

A little note on the photos: Thanks to my mother for the Valerie Market photos from her trip to Los Angeles and thanks to my sister for the veggie bar photo from her trip to Rancho Palos Verdes.

I'm having coffee with my friends at Holley Gerth's place at Coffee for your Heart. Join me there for more encouraging posts from my blogger friends!