Creating Space for Jesus in 2023

Moment of vulnerability, I got lazy with Jesus last year. I didn’t always prioritize time with Him. My Bible went untouched more days than I would like to admit. My prayer life was more about convenience than quality. I still deeply wanted a relationship with Jesus, but it was a challenge to overcome the temptation to pick up my phone and choose intentional time with the Lord instead. It can be super difficult to not let my feelings determine my actions, and to continue to open up my Bible even on the days I don't feel like it. But ultimately I know that it will fill me in a way no earthly thing can, so I am going to keep pressing in.

With the new year has come a conviction to change my habits and fight harder for Jesus in 2023. But I know it won’t just happen because I say it will. It’s going to take hard work to reprioritize my life to allow more room for God and less room for distraction. In fact, I have already failed, and I know I will fail again. But wow, am I thankful for a God who is eager to extend grace and

forgiveness. Tomorrow is a new day. His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23).

This blog is called “Creating Space for Jesus.” This name came out of a time where I was in school for interior design, and my original thought was that it’d be a place to share projects that physically created space where Jesus would be honored and welcomed. But it has morphed over the years to be a place of learning how we can create intentional space for Jesus to enter our lives.

Just like any relationship needs quality one-on-one time to grow and deepen, our relationship with Jesus is no exception. He is our friend. He wants our attention. But He isn't a God that demands it; He patiently waits for us to turn to Him. He wants us to choose Him over all the other things vying for our attention. And in today's culture, something is competing for our attention every second of the day. Social media, music/podcasts, busyness, worry and anxiety to name a few. We have to remain aware of all the ways Satan is trying to deter us from meeting with our Creator, in order to fight back against the temptations to let distractions win. In what ways have you been distracted or apathetic in your faith lately? How have you compromised your time with Him?

As I was thinking about all these things this morning, I realized that part of my laziness with God last year led to laziness in writing. I stopped feeling inspired… because I wasn’t creating space for Jesus to speak. I didn’t allow enough room for Him to encourage me. I kept Him at a distance and I let distractions seep in. But I miss Him, and I miss writing. It is honestly one of the ways I feel closest to God. So one of my goals this year is to get back to creating purposeful space for the Lord in my life and creating more intentional time to sit down and write all about what He is doing. Because He's pretty cool and people need to know it.

"Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you."

James 4:8