When you read a book words matter, of course! But have you ever thought about the purpose of the white space? …Everything between the straight, black, carefully ordered lines? I’ve always believed it is in the white space that a book takes life, information grabs hold of our imagination, and we become transformed.
In prayer recently, the Holy Spirit struck my heart. He told me - I am the white space of your prayer and your day. He not only surrounds us, but if we humble ourselves - He leads.
Having a growth mindset means trusting in that white space…engaging in those moments when the perfect lesson plan goes astray. Where is God leading you and your students? It is the moment in the hallway with a student whose not even “your own” that you encounter, help, notice, and breathe life into. It is the coworker who you sense needs you and you respond - even if it means abandoning your own agenda for the moment.
When I lay my head down at night and reflect upon my day, it is very rarely the words in black that I wrote that have changed me and helped me to grow in virtue. It is usually the white space in which the Holy Spirit was constantly moving and I following with childlike innocence, trusting that I am responding as He wishes.
Creating a plan certainly is virtuous in itself. We know that we find God in order, not chaos. Doing our best to prepare for a day lessens anxiety so we might better hear God’s voice in the white space. Yet, I have found in those unpredictable moments we are given opportunities of grace. Our day becomes a dialogue with God rather than our own narrative.
This is true also of our prayer life. Do you have white space in your prayer routine? Are you always in the lead when you pray or do you let God lead? Sometimes it’s not what we say, but what we don’t say that God might hear. I have found on some days my “white space” is cloudy, not clear. I need God to breath His love so I might become His story.
