Soul Satisfaction: Book Review - Finding Spiritual Whitespace

(photo credit)

At the beginning of this year, I discovered a blogger via Facebook whose writing drew me in intimately: the kind of writing that connects with my heart and my soul.
Bonnie Gray understood. 
She inspired and reinforced God's word to me for this new year 2014: to be fruitful in the land of my affliction. 
She made me realize that I must walk the painful road through the painful wounds of my past, not alone, but with Jesus. 
This walk would eventually lead to freedom.

When she announced that she would be writing a book of her journey, well, I could not wait to find out more details of what she alludes to in her blog posts.

I joined in her group to launch this book and for the past couple of weeks I have been reading and brewing on her book, Finding Spiritual Whitespace: Awakening Your Soul To Rest.

Bonnie Gray is the writer behind Faith Barista.com who wrote a book about her inspiring, heart-breaking journey to find rest, which garnered Publisher’s Weekly starred review. I’m taking the journey to find rest through this guidebook and invite you to read it too. You can get a copy HERE. 


Bonnie defines 'spiritual whitespace' as that space for the soul to breathe. She compares it to the whitespace that an artist uses to hold beauty. "It is the key element of design that gives balance to a composition, transforming a cluttered collection of objects into an aesthetic expression of what we do see." 
God is our Artist and Architect. 
His work can only be magnified with the backdrop of His glory, that space that shines and brings out the beauty of our lives. 
This only happens when we bring each part of our lives to Him, for Him to breathe in His glory into each event, and for us to breathe in His Presence into our very soul.

I had not realized before how very sick my soul had become because I had not sought soul rest as God had mandated: We urge you, brethren, to excel still more, and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet [restful] life ~1Thess. 4:10-11 (NASB) and therein lay my strength for my day to day living: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength"...~Isaiah 30:15 (NIV). Bonnie describes these are times when God pours the oil of joy into your soul wounds.

I began to reflect on these moments in my life... 
when I felt all my senses had been engaged with Him, 
when the world seem to stop still, 
when the temporal and eternal collided.
When my soul was satisfied.
When I knew nothing else would. Ever.
I checked back on my blog posts and saw these moments:

So, as I sat down on the grainy sand on the lake shore that morning, I cried out for hope and then just stared at the lake and listened.

The calm, mysterious waters reminded me of my Creator,

as my soul rapidly quieted to listen.

All of my senses slowly heightened,

and I could smell the aroma of wet earth.

I could hear the soft swishing of water at my feet;

I could feel the soft morning breeze as it curled my hair about my face.

It seemed that I automatically stood up

and raised my hands in unison with all of creation in worship.

I closed my eyes as sudden warmth enveloped me,

the warmth of a love I had not realized before.

It lay before me, in the wonder of the creation that surrounded me,

the love that it had taken to create such grandeur.

Slowly the concepts of His absolute sovereignty and love

began to seep deeply into my soul.

This same God, who so lovingly formed

and left the stamp of His Presence in this grandeur around me,

formed me, loves me and never leaves me,

no matter what..."

"...when I listened to the children singing, I heard Anne's beautiful child's voice singing, "God loves Sita, God loves Sita, God loves Sita, He's so good to her..."  That was more powerful than any other person saying it..."

"...I was transported back to the island of Trinidad and Tobago to a small village church where there was a gospel crusade going on. It was a lovely tropical night, mosquitoes whizzing by, cool breeze fanning your hair and face. There were young girls there and I remember their faces and how I wanted to impart the wisdom that God had taught me thus far. Young fresh faces, so full of potential, yet so naive in the temptations that the world offered. I remember because it was a night that changed my life, a devastating crisis that made everything surreal, like a slow motion movie..."

"...And then, tonight, walking out of the library in twilight darkness, the fall leaves crunching beneath my feet, a cool autumn breeze embracing me, I was again transported back to the island of Trinidad and Tobago, to a mountain youth camp, walking from the dorm to the meeting place, through a bamboo clearing, in the twilight darkness with dried bamboo leaves crunching beneath my feet, a cool tropical breeze blowing ever so gently. Wow, what a happy time that was for me. How I loved that Victory Heights camp!..." 

"...A friend and I were talking the other night in a divine cocoon in the midst of youthful energy and noise. I 've just realized what a precious time of sharing it was, hearts bared, weakness admitted, perseverance in faith determined. My friend's eyes shone with an intensity that revealed her pain, and more importantly, the glory of God that always radiates in weakness. Beth talks about the heart (tabernacle) being a place where God meets with us, like I met my friend. Here it is safe and holy. I can bare my heart to Him and know His pleasure in me..."

These were all moments when my soul felt satisfaction.
I saw and felt His beauty in my imperfection.
I heard Him call my name in a child's voice.
Music. 
Water. 
Stillness. 
Solitude. 
Reading a good book. 
Heart to heart conversations.
Writing.
All instances of spiritual whitespace.

I had gone through an extended period where I felt guilty to enjoy life.
I had been given a message that I somehow did not deserve that.
But God has intervened.

Through Bonnie's book, I have been brought back to that place where I can find rest and know it is from God.
It is not something I deserve or earn.
It is why He created me.
To enjoy Him.
That is soul rest. 
A place that Hannah Hurnard found and described in Hinds Feet in High Places, a spacious place, a place to run freely, without pain, without suffering, to heal, to delight in His love, in His beauty.
To know that I am His beloved.

This now is my new journey.

I invite you to read Bonnie's book and join me on this journey to soul rest.
Read my Amazon review here. 
Look at this trailer: