“Without margin, each of us would have great difficulty guaranteeing availability. Instead, when God calls, He gets the busy signal.”
– Richard Swenson

E—Empty Spaces

Have you ever felt closed in? Perhaps you do when you open a kitchen junk drawer or an overflowing bedroom closet.

When things are too crowded together, there’s no breathing space.

While God may be in stuff, our belongings, our collections, he is also the glue that keeps all our empty spaces connected.

Try This

Look for holes today. Empty spots. Blank spaces.

• Maybe it’s a vacant spot on a shelf.
• Or an empty photo frame.
• Or an unfilled glass sitting by the sink.

Imagine God breathing in the empty spaces. View them as open areas where God is sitting with you, wanting you to luxuriate in a little extra breathing room, a spaciousness that he fills with himself.

Take a few deep breaths and notice the space around you where your exhale goes. God is in the unfulfilled spaces as much as he is in the things he created around them.

Thank him for the margins in your life, for the gaps that allow you to move about.

Sit with him in the empty spaces for a few more minutes, then return to your day.

Further Reading

• How Wide Are Your Margins?
  Do you live with a too-tightly packed schedule? How can you leave room for extra space?
• Are You Available?
  Are you leaving space for the unexpected?
• Hit the Pause Button
  Pausing may not eliminate our pain. But Jesus can fill our empty places with grace. With love.
• Let Go of Overload
  Overload leads to pain. The prescription is margin. The prognosis is health.

* * *

Where do you see an empty space in your environment? Are you comfortable with it? How is God there? Please share in the comments.

Next in the series:

• F – Food
  How do we connect God and food?

Index: See all 26 ways to encounter God here.

updated from the archives

“The Spirit of God has made me,
and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”
Job 33:4

Z—Zephyr

What is a zephyr?

A zephyr is a light breeze. On a hot day with stagnant air, you’ll notice even a small wind because it feels good. Same with a cold day; even a little wind can make you feel even colder.

But most days? The zephyrs blow right past us. We don’t even notice them.

God often is like a gentle breeze. If we’re not particularly warm or especially cold—life is running smoothly for us—we may not notice God breathing alongside us.

But in moments of extremity, we notice his winds.

And if we’re aware, we can notice his movement even in times of relative stillness.

God is always acting, moving, shifting the atmosphere.

• Zephyrs keep our lives from growing stagnant.
• Zephyrs stir us to move in new directions.
• Zephyrs cool us down and warm us up and remind us we’re not the ones in control after all.

I pray that you’ve felt God’s zephyrs blowing through your life these past 31 days. I have.

And I pray in the future we’ll live slow enough and sensitive enough to feel God’s movements—whether light or blustery—as he moves around us.

Try This

Notice the physical air around you. Hot? Cold? Calm? Breezy?

Take a deep breath, breathing in not only physical air, but God’s Spirit as well. Count your in-breaths and out-breaths for the next ten breaths, thanking God for the fresh spiritual winds he’s blowing your way.

Learn More

• Need to Catch Your Breath?
  Use the wind to remind you to breathe in God’s grace. And breathe out his praise.
• 5 Things I Learned from My Year of Deep Breathing
  Ironically, in my year of Deep Breathing, both my parents took their last breaths.
• Bill Nye the Science Guy on Wind
  Watch this 2-minute video on how air gets pushed around.
  

* * *

How have you felt God blowing around you lately? Please share in the comments.

We’re done! Thanks for reading 26 Surprising Ways to Encounter God. See the index of all the posts here.

We looked at six new ways to spend time with God this past week.

Did one exercise prove more effective to you than the others? Which one helped you become more aware of God’s presence with you and in you?

• Tangles
  Three suggestions to get rid of tangles in your life.
• Underground
  Sometimes we have to go underneath things to get grounded. If God has already rescued you, you’re primed to help others find freedom’s path.
• Valuables
  What 3 things would you grab (other than people and pets!) if your house was on fire? Where is God in those things?
• Welcome
  “This being human is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival.” – Rumi. Can we welcome both good and bad?
• X-Rays
  A spiritual x-ray is God seeing us from the inside out, without having to cut us from the outside in.
• You
  Who is in front of you today? That’s where you can see God. And who you can show God to.

Use today to rest and reflect on the encounters you had with God.

Tomorrow is our last day of this series! Thank you for reading along for 31 days in October. I pray you and God had some meaningful moments together.

Where or how did you see God the most vividly this past week? Please share in the comments.

Coming tomorrow:

• Z – Zephyr
  How is God like a gentle breeze?

If you’d like to receive 26 Surprising Ways by email, sign up here.

“To love another person is to see the face of God.”
– Victor Hugo

Y—You

Who have you seen today?

• Maybe a spouse or child.
• Maybe a co-worker.
• Maybe just yourself in the mirror.

Whoever it is, or whoever it will be, this person is an important part of your spiritual path.

Because this person is the one bearing the image of God to you. And to whom you are to reflect back the image of God.

Try This

Who is the “you” in front of you today? What characteristics of God do you see in them? Can you share that with them? It might make their day!

What characteristics of God are you supposed to show to that person? Can you be intentional about displaying God to them?

Learn More

• Because God Sees No Undesirables
  Neither should we. Quotes from Philip Yancey.
• You Are God’s Good China
  Don’t stay hidden on a shelf because you think you’re too stained.
• If You Don’t See God at Work, You’re Not Looking
  Bad things do happen, but good things do, too.
• Oh, God, the Places You Show Up
  In homeless teenage boys I don’t expect to find you. Except that I do.

* * *

Who is the “you” in your life today? How have you seen God? Please share in the comments.

Coming up Monday:

• Z—Zephyr
  How is God like a gentle breeze?

If you’d like to receive 26 Surprising Ways by email, sign up here.

“There is no place in my soul, no corner of my character, where God is not.”
– Evelyn Underhill

Photo credit: Aidan Jones via Foter.com

X—X-ray

Likely you’ve had several x-rays in your life.  Maybe at the dentist office. Or for a weekend warrior injury. Or compliments of TSA when you’re going through security at the airport.

But what about a spiritual x-ray?

If the purpose of an x-ray is for doctors to see inside us without having to cut, isn’t this exactly what God does, too?

When Samuel was looking for Israel’s next king, the Lord told him that he looks on the inside, not the outside.

“But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7

God does the same with us.

He sees us from the inside out, without having to cut us from the outside in.

Try This

Think of the last x-ray you or someone in your family has had done. What was revealed? How did the information prove helpful later?

Now pray about how God sees you, a spiritual x-ray. What is he seeing?

• Any broken places that need to be set?
• Any weapons you’re smuggling that need to be discarded?
• Any cancerous spots previously undetected that need to be treated?

Be open to thoughts that God is exposing. Quicker healing could depend on it.

Learn More

• Look Inside Yourself for God
  You had to go further? You had to take up residence in us? by Max Lucado.
• All About X-Rays
  What, why, risks, and how to prepare for an x-ray.
• 32 Bibles Verses About Seeing Yourself

* * *

When has a physical x-ray been helpful to you? What about a spiritual x-ray? Please share in the comments.

Coming up tomorrow:

• Y—You
  Who is the “you” in front of you today? That’s where you’re supposed to see God.

If you’d like to receive 26 Surprising Ways by email, sign up here.

“This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.”
– Rumi

W—Welcome

Something good happens.

• We welcome it.
• We thank God.
• We’re happy.

Something bad happens.

• We try to make it go away.
• We beg God to remove it.
• We’re bothered by it.

But what if, regardless of what happens, we welcome God into it?

If it’s good, that’s easy. If it’s bad, while still working and praying to eliminate it, can we invite God to help us accept it? Just for the moment. As an opportunity to partner together. Just for what it is, subject to change.

I’ve been working on this all year. My One Word for 2016 is Welcome.

I’ve sliced it up twelve ways, taking one month to intentionally accept something different as encounters with God, things I wouldn’t ordinary welcome into my life.

It’s not been easy. But it’s been good.

Try This

What’s happening in your life, your family, your body, your work in this season? Is it easy or hard to welcome? See if any of these ways hits home to help you better accept it.

Here are the Welcome topics by month.

• January. Welcome Authenticity
• February. Welcome Self-Compassion
• March. Welcome Resiliency
• April. Welcome Gratitude
• May. Welcome Intuition
• June. Welcome Creating
• July. Welcome Rest and Play
• August. Welcome Calm and Stillness
• September. Welcome Love and Wisdom
• October. Welcome Meaningful Work

Learn More

• God’s Word of Welcome
  We never lose our place on God’s whoever list, by Max Lucado.
• Why Hospitality Is Important to the Kingdom of God
  At the end of the day, it’s a heart issue.
• Is This Fun to You?
  How to welcome individualized play in our lives.
• Welcome Hope
  3 ways to have more hope.

* * *

What are you working to accept, or welcome, in this season of your life? Is it hard or easy? Please share in the comments.

Coming up tomorrow:

• X – X-ray
  Have you had a spiritual x-ray?

If you’d like to receive 26 Surprising Ways by email, sign up here.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
– Jesus (Matthew 6:21)

V—Valuables

What do you most want to protect? What’s the first thing you’d grab in case of a fire or a flood?

Where is God in those things?

When I’ve cleaned out homes after a flood or a tornado, my heart hurts to see a family’s treasures in tatters (or missing altogether). Family Bibles soaked beyond repair; special dishes in pieces; wet pictures in cracked frames.

It makes me think about my own valuables. I’d hate to lose photos, letters, personal gifts.

But why? Because those items represent people. They are ones I love, who God has gifted into my life.

The ‘what’ matters because of the ‘who.’

Try This

Think about your own valuables. Look around the room you’re in. If you had 30 minutes to leave your home forever, what would you grab first?

Then consider the ‘who’ behind each item.

Can you see God’s provision of a person associated with your valuables? Spend a few minutes thanking him for the valuables in your life. Then share that gratitude, if possible, with those who are most valuable to you.

Learn More

• Fire Preparedness Grab List
  A downloadable PDF of what you should grab.
• Pictures of What People Would Grab
  A series of photos of what people think they’d carry with them, from The Burning House.
• Why You Should Leave Your Bags Behind If Plane Is on Fire
  Your life is more important than your carryon. Video footage from August’s crash landing in Dubai of the Emirates 777.

* * *

What 3 things would you grab (other than people and pets!) if your house was on fire (and you safely had time)? I’d get my external hard drive with all my photos, my shadow box with Kali’s hair, and my laptop or phone (it’s a tossup). Please share in the comments.

Coming up tomorrow:

• W – Welcome
  Can we welcome God in everything?

If you’d like to receive 26 Surprising Ways by email, sign up here.

“If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time.
But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”
– Lilla Watson

U—Underground

Sometimes we have to go underneath things to get grounded.

Think of the Underground Railroad. While not really underground nor a real railroad, it was an undercover system in America in the 1800s to rescue enslaved blacks in the south. Using safe people, safe routes, and safe houses, the Underground Railroad led slaves to freedom.

While we do still have people enslaved all around the world today that need physical rescues, we can also make us of Underground Railroads (of sorts) to help rescue others from spiritual slavery as well.

Perhaps you’ve felt confined in a religious tradition or trapped in an unhealthy lifestyle. Then God sets you up to meet someone in a separate context who talks of a different way. Or God sends you a book to read. You pray to him. You watch for his next signpost. You follow the safe path (possibly risky, too) to escape from shackles to freedom through God’s grace.

If God has already rescued you, you’re primed to help others find the path.

This network of guidance matters.

Sometimes we have to go against a comfortable culture to save a life.

I recently finished reading Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad (I highly recommend it). It’s a fictionalized version of American in the 1800s using a literal underground railroad to free slaves.

It was a good reminder that as long as anyone is enslaved, we all are.

“Looking down over the universe of the park, she saw the town drift where it wanted, washed by sunlight on a stone bench, cooled in the shadows of the hanging tree. But they were prisoners like she was, shackled to fear.”

Try This

Where do you feel confined? Ask God to meet you in this stronghold. Ask him to show you the path to freedom. Watch for the people and the ways he’s giving you personal direction into previously unnoticed openings and passages.

Then think of areas you’ve already been rescued from. Do you know anyone left behind that could use a friendly word? Can you give guidance and encouragement to help someone else find the light that you’re living in?

Learn More

• The Underground Railroad – PBS
  The Underground Railroad was made up of many whites but mostly blacks who knew only of the local efforts to aid fugitives and not of the overall operation.
• Prayer: How to Do the Humanly Impossible
  Make prayer the visible engine of your ministry.
• Can You Hold Steady? A True Story of Harriet Tubman
  Do you know the source of strength of Harriet Tubman, the most famous conductor of the Underground Railroad?

* * *

Who has God used to show you the path to freedom? When has he used you to show others? Please share in the comments.

Coming up tomorrow:

• V – Valuables
  What do you most want to protect?

If you’d like to receive 26 Surprising Ways by email, sign up here.

“It is not the outer objects that entangle us. It is the inner clinging that entangles us.”
– Tilopa

T—Tangles

When my daughters were young, I didn’t like combing out their tangles. They had thick hair. Tugging at the tangles hurt them. It hurt me. (We used No More Tears for years to make it easier . . . and lots of braids.)

Life sometimes feels this way, too. Tangled up. Knotted. Like a gnarled necklace that we can’t untwist.

Where is God in this mess?

Try This

Think of an area in your life that feels complicated.

Then pray about one or more of these suggestions to encounter God in the tangles.

1. Recruit a friend.
   Getting tangles out isn’t a task to be done alone. Who has God sent your way that might be just the person to walk through this situation with you?
2. Use some oil.
   Sometimes we have to gently massage a situation and loosen it up before it’s ready to let go of our tangles. What small step can you take today to detach from the mess and relax its grip on you?
3. Cut it out.
   When all else fails, God may want you to just cut the tangle out. Might he be asking you to drop this conflict altogether and run fast the other way? When the tangles get too snarled, cut your losses and flee (Hebrews 12:1).

Learn More

• Strip Off Your ‘Weight’ – Hebrews 12:1
  This scripture reminds us that we are to ‘strip off’ anything that might get in our way or ‘tangle us up.’
• A Place to Start for Spiritually Stuck People
  Don’t let the lie sink into your mind that spiritual dryness indicates that God is tired of working with you.
• All Tangled Up
  Sin trips us up and we need to be aware of what it really is and how it affects our life and our purpose.

* * *

Is there a tangle in your life right now? Can you work it out or will it need to be cut out? Please share in the comments.

Coming up tomorrow:

• U – Underground
  Sometimes you have to go underground to save a life.

If you’d like to receive 26 Surprising Ways by email, sign up here.

How did God show up for you last week?

Did he surprise you somewhere you least expected?

Here are six areas we intentionally sought encounters with God.

• Now
  Stay awake to this moment. This second of “now” is your moment of encounter with God.
• Oddities
  Look for God’s gifts of presence and love in the odd spaces of your life. Be grateful for the peculiar and uncommon ways that he is showing up.
• Portals
  Look for portals—openings—that God wants to reveal himself through your routine tasks. Unwrap these gifts of grace; enjoy them to the fullest.
• Questions
  We often think God is in the answers. But sometimes we can connect with him more in the questions.
• Raw
  Think of an area in your life where you feel raw or extra touchy. Be as compassionate to yourself as God is to you.
• Sickness
  God has set healing in motion. It will eventually be complete. We just have to wait it out.

Use today to reflect back on the encounters you shared with God. 

Pray about how you’ll encounter God in this coming week. I’ll suggest ways from T through Y.

* * *

Where or in whom did you see God this past week? Please share in the comments.

Coming up:

• Monday–Saturday, Encountering God from T to Y

If you’d like to receive 26 Surprising Ways by email, sign up here.