"Have you ever felt lost, unable to find someone to keep company with you in your time of need? Have you felt the awkward silence filling the space as you struggle to give voice to your need? I'm learning not everyone can touch that place of empty. Not everyone knows how to stay."
-Finding Spiritual Whitespace
Bonnie Gray will question your soul over and over in this book. She will ask, "what do you really need? What do you long for most?" But she doesn't leave you empty-handed. No, she shows you where to find the answers - in Whom to find the answers. She introduces you to One who truly knows how to stay.
Bonnie's childhood trauma broke into her life in her early 40's, like a burglar breaking and entering a tranquil house in the dead of night. PTSD, panic attacks, and insomnia suddenly dominated her life. Finding Spiritual Whitespace is her journey to healing by discovering whitespace for the soul - places for her heart to rest with Jesus. It's one part memoir, one part guide, and all parts heart. I wish I had had this book a year ago when I too was struggling with panic and insomnia - the horror of PTSD.
Yet even now, it has been helpful in my own journey of healing. I both wept and rejoiced through Bonnie's story and gleaned so many ideas for rediscovering my own spiritual whitespace. Rest was created for us to enjoy, and instead of trying harder to spend time with Jesus, Bonnie reveals the truth that we are free to be with Jesus whenever and wherever our hearts feel most at home.
To give you an idea, here are a few of my own whitespaces of rest with Jesus.
- Taking a walk alone at sunset.
- Cooking a meal, unrushed.
- Buying flowers for my room.
- A daily cup of tea.
- Starting my day with a run.
- Anything beautiful and aesthetically pleasing.
- Anything, absolutely anything green.
Please, read Bonnie's book and discover your own spiritual whitespaces. Maybe you're experiencing difficult memories or a stressful season of your own, or perhaps this book is simply meant to help you know how best to extend grace to someone in Bonnie's position.
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