The Virtue of Vacuum

In my last blog I described my dilemma of being asked for the fall to teach a twice a week sign language to my son and his peers in middle school (and getting the opportunity to influence them for the good in virtues, etc.) and trying to have a more balanced life and schedule by not taking on more commitments.  In my work with Kirsten Awe, a Professional Organizer of Three Pea, I had an epiphany on how to reconcile this conflict and ensure my decision was in line with God’s will.

Kirsten’s approach has been to tackle one room or project at a time.  Consistently, our first task was to go through every paper, every file, every item to keep, donate, or discard.  Amazingly when we were ready to put everything back we would encounter volumes of recovered space.

That’s when it hit me.  I can only determine whether a request is God’s will if I have first inventoried and expiated what God wants me to let got of.  I discovered Train Wreck Lesson 5: “In order to make space of what is better, we must let go of what we no longer need”.

It has always been clear to me that taking every opportunity to be involved with my kids and their friends was something I would never regret.  Feeling  lighter with Kirsten’s guidance on better time  and stuff management, I had unknowingly created a vacuum with the absence of clutter, mentally and physically. The vacuum made it possible for me to see where teaching sign language could fit in.  God enabled me to create the space for something better.

Catholic Women’s Guide to Healthy Relationships Tip:  Block off two hours in the next week to purge some area of your life to create space for what God has planned for you.