Making Space: A Lent Week 5 Reflection
The Transformative Spiritual Power of Simplicity
The “For Sale” sign in my yard says it all. Truth be told, it’s only coincidence that the sale is happening during Lent, which is often known as a season of subtraction. The spiritual awakening associated with this – and a few other aspects of our family’s life – are most certainly by God’s design.
Yesterday, I informed the few remaining clients of my business that we’ll be done after this month. Why? Because in losing the work I’m gaining the spiritual clarity to devote my life more fully to Christ, live in nature, focus on seminary courses, and build an online ministry.
What waits on the other side? No idea.
But I have faith. That’s the point.
“Be still. And know that I am God.” That’s Psalm 46:10 (NLT), and its timely message has popped up in unexpected places more often than I can count over the past month.
Jesus’s disciples had no idea what to expect, either. In a recent seminary paper, I described His first encounters with Peter, Andrew, James, and John as “an odd proposition.” Imagine the oddity of a random man approaching you at work and saying, “Come follow Me.”
As you’re cleaning the grill to end your shift or crunching budget numbers in a cubicle, would you follow? Or would you call security?
The early disciples didn’t have to abandon their nets to become “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19, ESV). If anything, in a much more spiritual and superstitious time with dime-a-dozen “prophets” running all around the world they knew, they may have been EVEN MORE skeptical of the Messiah “sales pitch.”
But they followed.
That speaks to the spiritual gravity of the moment. “No” was not an answer. The disciples were called to lay down their lives as Christ eventually laid down His. Matthew 10:39 tells us, “If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it” (NLT).
How did they do it? By setting aside their worldly interests – their jobs, their families, everything they knew – to be spiritually nourished and become prepared to spread the coming Gospel.
This Lent, the call to simplicity by giving up my job security and even our home isn’t an odd proposition at all. If that sounds crazy, I wear that straightjacket proudly.
Spiritual Simplicity: What To Do With Your Freedom This Lent
We often use Lent to slow down. We try to remove the noise that keeps us from hearing God clearly. Some of us try to kick an old habit. Quitting drinking or smoking (or both) is quite popular. Giving up a favorite food or laying off social media also top the list of Lent sacrifices.
Whatever it is, the goal isn’t deprivation but rather to create space.
Space to Notice God Again
The world constantly pushes us toward more — more possessions, more commitments, more noise, more urgency. We accumulate things, schedules, obligations, and expectations until our lives become so crowded that even the good things struggle to breathe. Simplicity can feel almost radical.
Where is God in that daily grind?
That’s why Lent invites us to pause and ask some uncomfortable questions. What do we have in our lives that God never asked us to carry? What distractions have filled the space where prayer, rest, and devotion once lived? And what might happen if we intentionally loosened our grip on some of those things?
Fewer things to manage. More time outdoors. More time simply being present with each other and with God. As my good friend Rob Erickson says, “You’re a human being; not a human doing.”
At first glance, downsizing might sound like a loss. But the more we walk with God, the more it feels like making space.
Space to Breathe in God’s Creation
Pay attention to the rhythms of creation — sunlight, wind, birds, trees, and quiet mornings. The little critters fluttering and skittering around may seem hurried, but I promise they’re right on time to catch the worm or find the nut that God provided. We’re reminded that God’s creation operates with a simplicity that our modern lives lack.
The natural world doesn’t clutter itself. It simply exists in the order God designed.
Jesus himself modeled this kind of simplicity. He didn’t accumulate possessions or build an empire of comfort. His ministry unfolded while walking dusty roads, sitting beside lakes, and retreating into quiet places to pray.
Space to Give God Your Attention
When our lives become overly complicated, our attention becomes divided. Our energy is scattered in too many directions. But when we simplify — even in small ways — we rediscover that God was walking with us the whole time.
Lent reminds us that making space removes something from our plate for something greater. Maybe that space comes through fasting. Maybe it comes through putting down the phone for a while. Maybe it comes through simplifying our schedules, our homes, and our expectations.
Whatever form it takes, God’s invitation is the same: slow down, pay attention, and make room for Him.
