Create a Clearing

Blog by Gem Fadling

I’m enamored by people who can speak and write poetically. I’m more of a practical, matter-of-fact kind of speaker and writer, which I suppose has its own kind of charm. But a part of me wishes I were a poet.

A couple months ago my spiritual director opened our time together with a poem by Martha Postlethwaite from her book Addiction and Recovery. Her poetry is truly beautiful, but even more beautiful is the way of life she describes:

“Do not try and save the whole world or anything grandiose. Instead, create a clearing in the dense forest of your life and wait there, patiently, until the song that is your life falls into your own cupped hands and you recognize and greet it. Only then will you know how to give yourself to this world so worthy of rescue.”

I want to figure out how to live like that. It is easy to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders these days because we can see and hear what is going on in most corners of our planet. Psychologically, emotionally, relationally, and even physically this is too much for us to bear.

Postlethwaite’s poetic invitation is to create a clearing inside our own dense forest, and…wait. Wait as a song is given to us (I would add “by God”). Then we will know how to serve.

This is an unhurried invitation, isn’t it? The temptation is always to keep moving forward, mostly at breakneck pace. There is so much to do! There are so many needs! How will it all ever get done?

But unhurried leadership takes a different view. Unhurried leadership knows that we must fill up with what we would pour out.

Practically speaking, what would it look like to clear a space in the dense forest of your life?

This isn’t another speech about not having enough quiet time. This is an honest question about making the space to listen to and receive from God. And it’s a reminder that replenishing spiritual practices lead to wisdom to know where and how to pour.

We have only so much energy and time. Especially as we age, we have to honor what our bodies are telling us about our capacity. That is why it is so important to know who you are and what you have to offer.

You have God-given abilities, desires, and passions. How will that goodness move in and through you to others?

I am often reassessing my energy and capacity, which leads me to readjust my engagements and calendar.

Becoming scattered and overwhelmed is truly unhelpful. No one would argue with that. Our culture is crying out for wise, experienced leaders—people who know the way, the truth, and the life: Jesus. And not by mere knowledge but by experience.

This “clearing in the dense forest of your life” is where we receive from God in unique and necessary ways. And the first, and repeated, thing we hear is that we are loved without question. It is impossible for God to not love us, for God is love (1 John 4:16).

There are a couple of things to say about the waiting place spoken of in Postlethwaite’s poem.

First, there’s a kind of waiting place that might be bound by time and location. Set aside times where you can listen to God through scripture, prayer, or journaling. Unhurried time with God in the form of silence and solitude is another beautiful way to receive rest and peace. These are certainly clearing-type practices.

Second, there’s a kind of waiting place located in your heart, and you always carry it with you, like a low hum in the background. Inspiration typically comes when we aren’t looking, so holding a space and turning an inward ear to the Spirit can yield wonderful fruit over time.

Finally, Postlethwaite’s image of our cupped hands conveys the idea of waiting with hope. Our hands are outstretched, trusting that God will fill and guide.

So let’s swing back to the quote once more and ask ourselves a few questions:

“Do not try and save the whole world or anything grandiose. Instead, create a clearing in the dense forest of your life and wait there, patiently, until the song that is your life falls into your own cupped hands and you recognize and greet it. Only then will you know how to give yourself to this world so worthy of rescue.”

• In what ways does your life feel like a dense forest?
• How might you create a clearing where you can patiently wait?
• What does trust (cupped hands) look like for you right now?
• What focus from God do you long for in your current season?

Remember, we can usually find our way into discernment by asking solid, open-ended questions. This is another way to learn to wait in trust.

Blessings to you as you make your way.

Read Lamentations 3:25-26 and let it rise as a prayer from within:

God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
    to the woman who diligently seeks.
It’s a good thing to quietly hope,
    quietly hope for help from God.

Photo by Dale Nibbe on Unsplash