Busy About Giving Attention
Exploring in a new space a practice that changes everything
The seed was planted when God took me through a year of tearing down old, distorted ways of living and building new, true ones. It’s not necessarily about what I do as much as who I am becoming. It’s less about me being awesome and more about operating hidden in God’s awesomeness. It’s receiving love, not earning it. It’s about obedience, surrender and humility, not others’ approval, self-sufficiency and ease.
Journeying on, roots grew deep into affection for the Lord, I learned the tone of His voice, I practiced following Him and not the crowd, and the fruit tasted of lasting peace, joy and freedom.
I’ve had a blog for over 12 years and it’s still a delight of my creative life.
I’ve been really digging Substack as a way to organize and keep up with writers and thinkers I enjoy, but I’ve never considered employing it for my own content. That resistance comes from: there are so many words already out here. I can’t even keep up with the accounts I’m subscribed too. A person has limits, as you well know.
Then, the Holy Spirit, in His kind, interesting way, led me here. To put it simply, this work is my loaves and fish. It's enough if it only feeds me, but in reality, that's not all it can be. God can do with this offering whatever He wants. I’m here for that adventure.
I may be content with writing publicly without the pressure of how many eyeballs are on it or working for more of them, but that doesn’t mean that He can’t feed someone else with it if and when they need it.
Lilias Trotter wrote, “How childish it must seem to them, up in heaven, when we treasure the importance of a thing by its size.”
Adding Substack to my list of creative outlets called for something new.
One of my favorite questions is from Wendell Berry, “It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?”
Years ago, I realized how cluttered, exhausted and miserable my soul was. The invitation from God? Simplify. Burn the legalistic list of expectations and rules of being good enough and useful to God. Make your priority His presence. Not feeling it but steadily, if not always, reorienting yourself to that true reality.
I accepted that invitation and it changed me. It still changes me. Being present to the God who is most present to me. This is abundant life.
Okay, Chelsea, that’s wonderful, but what does that actually look like?
Giving attention.
Learning the habit of giving attention…
to myself (showing up to God as I am, not what I’d rather hide or where I’d rather be)
to others (what does this person actually need? where can I make space for them?)
to Jesus (who is He to me in this moment? what is true of Him and me, right now?)
So, Wendell Berry. What are we busy about?
I want to be busy about giving attention to what (and who) matters most.
And I’ve love to explore it in this space.