Extra Space
By Elisa Morgan
This is one of those "extra" weeks. When we've completed Thanksgiving but the calendar hasn't yet turned to December so it seems a bit early to crank up the holiday tunes and race panicked into shopping, mailing and baking. (Do you even bake anymore?)
There are more days than average between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. I saw it coming on my calendar and didn't give it much thought. Until suddenly I found myself here on this Tuesday in November and discovered an odd roominess.
My normal habit is to fill space when I come upon it. The couch looks too minimalist so I add a pillow. The meal needs color and in come orange slices. My week yawns appointment-less, thus my email invitations to coffee.
What if I stop and sit in the extra space of this week - noticing, absorbing, present to its emptiness rather than filling it too full? What if I use this space not for more but for just what it is: space?
I might linger in the thought of gratefulness just a bit longer. Or spread myself out in the coming of Christ that is uncluttered with carols and cards. Or take some time to finish cleaning out the storeroom of my home ... or the one in my heart.
In the extra space of this week, I can struggle with the coming bustle and hustle of the holy days, whirring with worry about how to make them special and get everything done in time. Or I might embrace the extra space that the calendar, and the God of all time, offers this year.
How about you?
"Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
Psalm 90:12
Elisa Morgan is an author and speaker and the cohost of Discover the Word and contributor to Our Daily Bread. Her latest book, When We Pray Like Jesus, was recently released. Her other books include The Beauty of Broken, Hello, Beauty Full, and She Did What She Could. Connect with Elisa @elisa_morgan on Twitter, and @elisamorganauthor on Facebook and Instagram.