Bless the Space Between

Can you hear God laughing? Can you see rays of sunlight as they warm your face? Can you sense affirmation and acceptance in another’s smile? Can you observe a flower growing? Can you see the notes that come from a piano being played?

“Like the joy of the sea coming home to shore, May the relief of laughter rinse through your soul. As the wind calls fallen leaves to dance, May your gravity be lightened by his grace. Like the dignity of moonlight restoring the earth, May your thoughts incline with reverence and respect. As water is free to take whatever shape it is in, May you experience freedom in who you are becoming. As silence smiles on the other side of what’s said, May your sense of irony bring perspective. As time remains free of all that it frames, May your mind stay clear of all it names. May your prayer of listening deepen enough to hear in the depths the laughter of God.”

 (Adapted from “To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Invocations and Blessings”) John O’Donohue

A major part of the intrigue and mystery of God are “the spaces between” us. Our lives are full of divine spaces, pauses, and yes, even gaps. But do we take note of them? The “space between” often contains nuggets of wisdom, understanding and prophetic clarity. But it falls to us to mine them, to seek them out! King David was especially seasoned in taking note of “the space between”.

1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" 4 These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng. 5 Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and 6 my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon--from Mount Mizar. 7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. 8 By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me-- a prayer to the God of my life. (Psalm 42:1-8 NIV)

Panting, thirsting, searching, anguishing, pouring out, hoping, longing, questioning, and deep calling to deep are some of how we enter into the “divine mystery” of learning from “the space between” us. It is in the “in between” that we hear the laughter and intimate affection of God for us.

We always have the choice to experience our walk with Jesus in the ‘safe’ place of logic and intellect; never acknowledging the relational intrigue of “the space between”. But know that you will miss the greater parts of how he wants to be known and enjoyed by you. What are some of these “in between spaces”?

For me, they are the ‘nuggets’ of grace and intimacy that I seem to experience best in my “inner journey”. The space between perceived rejection and passionate acceptance in the beloved, hurt or offense and sweet forgiveness, lukewarm spirituality and blazing first-love, relational barriers and ‘risky’ love, timid unbelief and childlike faith, terrorizing fears and perfect fearless love, separation and reconciliation, faith to faith and glory to glory.

In the serendipitous, sacred ‘spaces’ we can more fully enter into the joy of our Salvation. "God wants to increase the level of your smiling and your laughter. The Priestly Blessing in Numbers 6 about the presence of God says that He lifts up the light of His countenance upon you.

²⁴ “The Lord bless you and keep you;
²⁵ The Lord make His face shine upon you,
    And be gracious to you;
²⁶ The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
    And give you peace.”

The glory of man is to enjoy God forever; especially between the spaces! Ron Ross