Making Space to Reform: A Guide to Living and Working Simply
Over the past six months, our worlds have shrunk. Many of us are no longer commuting to an office for work, traveling out of state, or socializing outside of our towns. Our homes have become our offices, schools, playgrounds, gyms, churches, movie theaters.... Have we ever been more aware of the value of space?
Space is one of the nine Reform Wellness pillars. We believe that our bodies, minds, and souls are all ripe for reform. Step one in reforming is allowing space for God so that He can reveal to us what and how we need to reform. Adding more space into our lives goes beyond merely the physical; it also applies to our minds and souls.
In modern culture, it’s not uncommon to find people starving for space. How many of us fill our calendars and pack our days with back-to-back obligations? Do we make space in our eating habits and our living areas, or are they, too, packed full? Whether we realize it or not, a lack of space in our lives obstructs us from living life to the fullest, from receiving the abundance that God has to offer.
Simplicity is the key to creating more space. When we focus on what is truly essential and eliminate the non-essentials, we have much more room for the gifts that God wants to give us. These gifts are not just material, but also a spirit of peace and fullness of joy. With more space in our lives, we have less stress from work, deeper relationships with our friends and family, and the freedom to grow closer to God.
Based on the nine Reform Wellness pillars, here are some ways to simplify our lives and make space for abundance:
Nutrition: Schedule it; stick with it; sit with it. When working from home, it’s easier than ever to forget to eat—no more scheduled lunch hour or coworkers all grabbing food at the same time. Take a tip from office or school life and schedule times for meals. Then, stick with it and make sure to sit down to eat for at least 20 minutes. This allows space to rest and digest both your meal and your day, and it creates mental space too: no more thinking about when to eat. Simplify further by keeping meals simple, with nutrient-dense, real, whole foods that nourish our God-given bodies with His own creations.
Sleep: Similar to mealtimes, schedule a time to rise and a time for bed each day. Commit to a non-negotiable “unplug time.” At this time, take space away from screens (especially work-related) and intentionally unwind. A morning and evening routine—such as prayer, reading, or journaling—provides space for personal care and also for “resting and digesting” the day. All of these habits promote quality sleep, which is vital for health. The ideal sleep schedule is eight hours, from 10 PM–6 AM. With proper sleep, we have greater self-control, fewer cravings, better brain health and performance, and more.
Stress Management: Burnout is a sure sign of a lack of space. It results from prolonged stress and overworking—i.e. no time to breathe! It can result in physical symptoms, such as headaches, and emotional symptoms, such as irritability and mood swings. Setting specific work hours and work blocks (i.e. 90 minutes on, 20 minutes off) and putting first things first (completing the most important task of the day, first thing) can help prevent burnout. Contrary to what hustle culture tells us, our worth is not in what we do and God specifically asks us to rest within our days and week. Let’s obey Him; He knows what He’s talking about!
Functional Movement: Even if we can’t make it to the gym at the moment, we can step outside for a walk around the neighborhood or move our bodies inside our homes. Stretch (we love ROMWOD and SoulCore) and give thanks for the gift of movement—our bodies need it! There are 1,440 minutes in a day; we need only 30 to effectively move our bodies. If we’re more stressed than usual, we may not have enough gas in our tanks for a high-intensity workout, and that’s okay. Intense workouts are not necessary; what’s important is moving in a way that supports our bodies. It’s better to move in some capacity than not at all.
Faith: “Every one of us needs half an hour of prayer every day, except when we are busy—then we need an hour.” —St. Francis de Sales. Giving the first and last hour of our day to God is a simple, concrete way to create more space for Him. Every morning, we can offer our day to Him: all of our prayers, works, sufferings, and joys. This gives meaning to our days and puts the rest in His hands. We then shift from self-reliance to God-reliance, making us receptive to His grace and direction, rather than burning out on our own. We can also practice fasting from anything that does not bring us closer to God: criticizing, profanity, negative self-talk, gossip, etc. Fasting as a form of prayer makes space for God to work in and through us in powerful ways.
Community: To quote the good ol’ Beatles, “we get by with a little help from our friends.” Life is simpler when we do it together. Making space for others goes two ways: it’s saying yes to helping others, and it’s also asking others for help (and allowing them to say yes!). Delegating work and outsourcing tasks creates space in our schedules. Setting clear boundaries also preserves space and prevents non-essential activities from swallowing our time and energy. If we’re having trouble juggling commitments, we can ask the Holy Spirit to help us eliminate anything (or anyone) that pulls us away from simplicity.
Space: Ahh, the key to simplicity in all areas of reform. Space in our days helps us to transition, reset, and deal with any unplanned issues that may come our way. Making space for ourselves through solitude is powerful: it allows God to be with us, and He makes extraordinary things happen when we let Him in! Making space in our work environments—delegating a specific area of our homes to be our home office, and keeping only the essentials there—allows us to focus and be present to the task at hand. Making space in our schedules enables God’s plans to take over—and His are always better than ours. We never know what divine appointments we might be missing without space for them.
Personal Growth: Making space for God is the first step to true personal growth. Why? Because only God is perfect, and knowing this helps us to avoid putting all the onus on ourselves to figure out our lives! Making space for God allows Him to fill the empty spaces, answer the questions, and propel us forward in His likeness and image. With space for God, personal growth comes naturally: we untangle ourselves from the trappings of the world and learn to see ourselves as God sees us. In solitude, the Holy Spirit can reveal to us our talents, skills, and purpose, so that we can live our God-given potential. “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” —St. Catherine of Siena
Play: “This is the real secret of life—to be completely engaged with what you are doing in the here and now. And instead of calling it work, realize it is play.” —Alan Watts. We have more space for play in our lives than we may realize. Even if our workload is full, we can shift our mindsets and approach work with an attitude of play. This doesn’t mean not taking our work seriously but rather fully engaging ourselves in our work...so that it feels like play. Play is not just the absence of responsibility, although those moments of connecting with our inner child are also vital! Play is what happens when we give ourselves space to fully embrace the moment, express ourselves, and release our joyful and creative spirits. When we turn the present into play, we also make space to fight burnout, unlock innovation, and more.
All of the above tips and tools can be used right here, right now, to help us return to the simplicity we crave. Even amid a pandemic that’s shifting the way we live and work, God is in control. Let’s shift our lens and consider that maybe our current circumstances are happening for us, not to us. Maybe our “normal” daily input numbed our souls with artificial meaning, under the guise of a progressive life. Maybe what we need is to get back to the basics: more space for stillness, worship, fasting, prayer, and untangling our souls from the world.
Is how we are living serving us? Is it bearing fruit or is it absorbing resources? Now is the time to reform our lives, homes, bodies, and habits. Let’s lean into the discomfort and prune that which does not bear fruit. Let’s simplify our lives to create space for peace, joy, and all that God desires for us.