Cardboard Boxes, Empty Spaces, and a New Chapter of Life


Have you ever noticed at the end of one chapter of a book, the author (or perhaps it’s the publisher) intentionally leaves some space before moving onto the next chapter?

Sure, one could argue that it’s solely done as a means to properly format a book; but after looking around my bedroom at the all the cardboard boxes and all the empty spaces in between, I tend to think the empty spaces in books (and the empty spaces in life) need more attention and more credit than we oftentimes give them.

The spaces in between chapters of a book are there to help you pause.

They’re there to help you reflect on what you’ve learned and remember the people you’ve grown to know and love along the journey.

They’re there to help you make sense of things past and prepare you for things to come.

As I sit here in my bedroom surrounded by the smell of cardboard boxes and the sounds of the people I love moving about the house, I realize that the empty spaces in my room are much like the spaces in between chapters of a book.

The spaces where things once were decorated, hung, folded, and set in my room are now reminders to me that life changes oh-so-fast. The spaces conjure memories for sure, but they also beg me to stop and pause. Pause and thank God for all He’s given to me. For all He’s done and for all He’s going to continue to do. Pause and remember that He’s the Grand Weaver in all of the events of my life. And pause and acknowledge that He’s always up to writing a story for my ultimate good and His ultimate glory (even if I don’t see all the interworkings of His grand design and plan).

As I’m thanking God for all He’s done, I can’t help but reflect on all He’s taught me this year and how He’s grown me up to love Him more than I did before – even just one year ago. I also can’t help but remember the people He’s brought into my life this year to grow me and strengthen me (and hopefully, vice versa) and the eternal significance of the friendships and bonds that were formed within just one year’s timing.

One question that has been coming up often to me is this: “Why did you just move ‘home’ for a year?”
That’s a good and very valid question. I could make up an answer that sounds good, but if I’m being honest with you, I don’t know all the answers to that question. All I know is that this time last year, God called my heart back home to family, and He added friends who became like family along the way. It wasn’t easy to leave Lynchburg, but I felt it was the right thing to do. The very thing God was asking me to do.

Now He’s asking me to return to Lynchburg. It’s exciting, but it’s still not easy. Transition and change have always been difficult for me. When I used to live in Lynchburg before, I’d always say my passion was in Lynchburg, but my heart was still in Jacksonville. Quickly, though, I’m realizing that neither are bound by geography alone, yet are both a part of the process God’s using in my life to make me more like Him.

As I’m working through the bitter-sweetness of this move, my mind constantly reverts to the lyrics in a song I once learned at church:

Where He leads me I will follow,

Where He leads me I will follow,

Where He leads me I will follow,

I’ll go with Him, with Him all the way.

Although I don’t know the answers to some questions people may have, I do know this: my previous years in Lynchburg prepared me for this one year in Florida, and I’m certain God used this one year in Florida to prepare me for the next chapter of my life in Lynchburg – how ever long or short that chapter may be is still to be determined. All I know is God is good. His love stretches farther than mine. His plan far outweighs mine. His very presence is in the details of the seemingly blank spaces of my life.
With all said, I wonder about you…what are the spaces in your season of life prompting you to do right now?

Pause? Reflect on lessons learned? Remember people who God’s brought into your life? Make sense of things past? Allow Him to prepare you for things to come?

Whatever it is, give the spaces the attention and credit they are due.

The smell of cardboard boxes won’t linger forever.

Make sure you’re ready for the next chapter when it comes.

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