Clearing Space

I hate fighting. I crave peace and quiet. Yet it seems that my day is filled with battles. Internally, I grapple with doubt, fear, anxiety, insecurity, frustration, control issues, distractions, intolerance, and a multitude of weaknesses. Externally, I struggle with relationships, daily work, finances, health, limitations of time and energy, crowds, cultural expectations, chaos, injustice, etc. Conflict is part of the human condition, yet not all battles are purposeful.

“We have to replace the battle for power with the battle to create space for the Spirit.” (Henri Nouwen, The Road to Daybreak)

As I monitor the reasons behind my daily struggles, I realize how many of them are battles for power as opposed to battles to create space for the Spirit.

How does one create space for the Spirit?

Is it like decluttering a room full of junk, rearranging the furniture, painting the walls, and adding some coordinating throw cushions? I don’t think so. Henri Nouwen described the process as a battle—so it must be more like the clashes for land between Israel and Palestine. The Enemy appeals to my ego and establishes settlements in my soul. The Holy Spirit fights back, reclaiming lost territory.

“The combat is not against human enemies, nor against our own corrupt nature only; we have to do with (deal with) an enemy who has a thousand ways of beguiling unstable souls. If we give way, he will get ground. If we distrust either our cause, or our Leader, or our armor, we give him advantage.” (Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary of Ephesians 6:12)   

The battle to create space for the Spirit involves combating negative human influences, our own internal corrupt nature, and forces beyond our perception. Darkness has a myriad of tools to infiltrate and occupy our souls. It feeds the ego while starving the soul. The more territory we cede, the more the enemy gains. How do we reclaim space for the Spirit? We must trust the cause, our Leader, and our armor.