Slowing Down to Make Room for Life

I am a people pleaser. It pains me to say this, but it’s the truth. I love to be a hostess. I plan birthday celebrations for my children on my day off. I commit to welcoming family and friends in our home for Easter—fifty or more people. I accommodate others around my work schedule, especially during the holidays. I change my calendar to be more flexible in many situations year round. By December 31, I wear myself out.

Then January rolls around. The Christmas decorations are all stored neatly for next year. The carpet is vacuumed, the quilts are put out for chilly evenings, and the hum of the pellet stove can be heard throughout the house. The kids go back to school, and I take a deep, much needed breath. What now?

Like many people, I set annual goals, which has been spiritually important to me for many years. Most of us set goals regarding our weight, our health, and our finances. We make a plan. We may fail one day, but there is always another Monday right around the corner, and we start all over again.

Spiritually, every day is Monday for me.

[Tweet “When we take on the mindset that every day is new, we get a clean slate each morning.”] This is what Jesus intended. My favorite verse reminds me of this: “In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice. In the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly” (Ps. 5:3 NIV). Every single morning, it’s like a refreshing shower for my soul to know I can come to Him with my repentance and expectation. I can lay it all out before Him, which involves slowing down to pamper my soul.

Pampering my soul includes many things. I love the quiet sound of praise music playing in the background of my day. I sit still in the morning after the family has left, just to sip a cup of coffee and bathe my mind in Scripture. I have a “war nook” by the window, where I have a Bible and a soft place in the early light.  I spend time reading and praying there without interruptions. Sometimes it’s a few minutes, sometimes it’s a couple of hours. It is my own private place when no one else is looking.

To truly slow down, I set my goals and put them on paper. I figure out exactly what I can walk away from and what I must continue with each day. I answer a few questions: How much do I want to read this year? What kind of experiences do I want to have? How will I best spend my time serving others? What is God pricking my heart with? What can I do to be more intentional with my time? Where does my husband fit into all of this?

Answering these questions takes me a few days. I like to pray about them, then weigh the answers. All are important, and all require a bit of change. Slowing myself down enables me to tune in to the Holy Spirit and refresh my way of thinking about the weeks ahead. I review last year’s goals and determine if I have learned to slow down enough in specific ways. I want white space on my calendar; I want to enjoy my family, my friends, and my writing. I want to be able to worship fully and pray equally. Slowing down enables me to open my heart and soul to new teachings I may not have noticed in Scripture. It opens me to new moments with God.

Since I began this journey of slowing down, I have noticed changes in myself, the most important being in how intentional I have become with my time. I stop and think before committing, I spend time in prayer before responding to invitations, and I intentionally say no when I am feeling overwhelmed.

This past year, slowing down prepared me for a series of events I wasn’t expecting. My dad was diagnosed with cancer. My husband and I were disappointed about a change in the direction of our lives. I lost a close friend to pride. I’ve been alienated by some in my church. My adult children are adulting, and it’s hard on them. My husband and I are faced with health issues.

In all of this, slowing down allowed me to be spiritually prepared for each blow. I moved from one crisis to another, hanging on to the truths I know and love. I now have created time and space to worship, pray, rest, and reset. It’s been worth it.

Angie Dailey lives in rural Ohio with her husband and family. She spends her best and most important time with the Creator of the Universe and with her family. She loves coffee, Jesus, and gardening, but not necessarily in that order. Angie blogs at angiedailey.com.