Deleting Emails and Living for the Lord

There are few things more freeing than zeroing out an email account. Have you tried it?

For the first time in years, my emails are reduced to a mere handful I need to address later. Thousands of messages are gone … POOF! And I don’t wish even one back (well, maybe one).

In fact, I feel strangely unburdened.

My email deletion frenzy is part of an intense drive/desire to reduce distractions in my life. To pare down. Eliminate. Really, to begin with a clean slate.

I desire to get rid of the frivolous and distracting noise so as to live a rich life more in tune with my created purpose: to love and serve the Lord.

Inspiration to begin this crusade is internal. Something fierce and unrelenting driving me forward. Motivation to continue is a mix of internal and external.

Motivation To Create Margin

For instance, I look at my son Daniel, beginning fresh at a college 450+ miles from home. New relationships to develop. New information to absorb. New territory to explore.

His is an opportunity to begin anew, in a sense. Perhaps that is what is so exciting to go away to college. The complexity of lives and experiences woven together hasn’t really wrapped him in its hold yet.

He has white space. Margin. He has the opportunity to savor and experience. To listen and enjoy. To hear the still small voice of His Lord.

I look at my daughter, Rachel. Sweet innocence. Naive? Perhaps. But genuine in her unburdened love for others. Her adoration for the Savior.

Her’s is a life to model. Her’s is a faith to emulate. Nothing distracts her from either her love or her faith. She is unswerving in both.

She has the simplicity to experience God in amazing ways, letting Christ shine through. She doesn’t block Him out with “to-do” lists, social media, or perceptions.  She doesn’t analyze or try to figure Him out.

There is room in Rachel’s life to just believe. No pretense. No clutter to trip over.

Creating White Space

Deleting emails, reducing clutter, identifying priorities. All ways I’m trying to create that white space in my life. To free my path from noise, so I can hear the voice of the Lord.

We like the fast pace. The constant motion. The noise of a life moving.

We get so caught up in “doing life,” we forget our created purpose.

We get so caught up in 'doing life,' we forget our created purpose. Share on X

When asked how he could inherit eternal life, God told the rich young ruler to “sell all you have and give to the poor” (Mark 10:21b). The ruler “was stunned at this demand, and he went away grieving, because he had many possessions” (Mark 10:22).

I don’t believe God is telling us we have to be dirt poor to be saved. His message is that to experience the treasure He has to offer, we need to get rid of our distractions. We need to make Him central in our lives. The rich young ruler wasn’t willing to do that.

To find true peace and joy in this world, we need to put our Lord and Savior above all the extraneous noise and clutter in our lives.

To find true peace and joy in this world, we need to put Jesus above all the noise and clutter in our lives. Share on X

It not enough to merely delete all my emails, get ultra-organized, or create tons of white space in my day. They’re positive things to do and will likely reduce stress.

Spiritually Whole

But experiencing God in the real sense isn’t  about doing any of these. Living for God, hearing His voice in our lives, is really about tuning into Him first and foremost.

Living for God, hearing His voice in our lives, is really about tuning into Him first and foremost. Share on X

It’s about tuning out all the other noise clamoring to get in, the static that distorts His message. It’s about spiritually removing all the clutter, so we can move nearer to Him. It’s about seeking out that direct channel to Him.

All the other attempts to get our lives right can be helpful. They have their place. I’ll continue to “do” healthy things to reclaim my time and sanity. But that alone isn’t enough.

“Doing for the Lord” isn’t the same as “Living for the Lord.”

'Doing for the Lord' isn't the same as 'Living for the Lord.' Share on X

Fulfilling our created purpose in life boils down to avoiding the distraction of merely “doing” life.

Being spiritually whole means drawing into an intimate relationship with the Giver of life, knowing and living only for Him.

Being spiritually whole means drawing into an intimate relationship with God, knowing and living only for Him. Share on X

“They seek Me day after day and delight to know My ways, … they delight in the nearness of God” (Isaiah 58:2).

Reflections: Are you confusing “doing for the Lord” with “living for the Lord”? Are their ways you can identify to eliminate the noise that is blocking out God’s voice or the clutter that is in the way of your relationship with Him?

Related articles

• It Is You, Lord {letter to God} (juliesunne.com)