I have always enjoyed these few days before the New Year. It is likely a combination of things. For years there were holiday basketball tourneys that our kids played in, and always lots of great football to watch. But for me one of the highlights has always been having the schedule slow a bit and then taking the time to find one of my favorite places, seek some quiet, and listen. Listen and learn from some of the lessons of the road of the last year, and then start to dream about what is next.
One of the things I like to do is keep this time pretty simple. With an open journal in front of me I just ask God if there is a word, a phrase, or a step he wants me to take in the coming year.
A year ago, three words came to me right away: Focus. Simplify. Have fun.
Often throughout this year I have gone back to those words as a sort of check up. As a result I have developed a pretty lengthy list around each one.
With all the leaders who come into the Rogue and RhythminTwenty leadership journeys, we call this practice SPACE. We challenge and invite these leaders to take a full day of space every month. Of all the things we do, this is the one practice that people continually go back to as a difference maker—as a time God often really breaks through. This concept is certainly nothing new. I have been reading about Irish Monks who made a type of space their critical practice more than 1600 years ago.
But today has been a great reminder of why this time of space has been so powerful in my own life over the years:
- It helps me get centered and steady.
- It helps me to stop doing and just listen and respond from a stronger place.
- It reminds me that life is not just about me, but I am a part of a much bigger story.
- It breathes life, energy, and vision back into my journey.
- It is a great space to remember the many times God has broken through in my own life.
Having said that, it is amazing how many obstacles come in the way of me taking this time. But today as I sat in a lodge and looked over a snowy river basin, I was reminded again of the WHY. Some needed clarity has started to come. It was just a beginning today, but a critical start for me as I head toward 2015.
