February 2026 On the Side: No Room!
Photo by Nik via UnSplash
by Dawn Mast
“Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God-truly righteous and holy.” Ephesians 4:23
Emotions I hadn’t felt in a long time suddenly took over and I was angry. Seething rage, hurt and a sprinkling of unforgiveness came washing over me with a gush. The sad part was my day hadn’t even started yet! I was getting ready, drying my hair, putting on my make-up (which is extremely hard to do when you keep crying!) and wrestling down unruly emotions like a toddler with a temper.
I even imagined saying hurtful words to hurting people. Not my best moment. My soul was riled up and my stomach was in knots with so much chaos so early in the day. I wanted to talk to Mark about all this, but he was working long hours and I knew he was too burned out to hold my burden.
Usually I handle things well, but this incident had me all undone. Mark speaks calm into my storm and helps settle my upended soul in times of hard stress and hurt. But this time…I was on my own. He was working and feeling depleted from long hours and longer days, so I was going to have to handle this on my own.
Somehow, I had forgotten to ask the Lord, who knows me better than my husband does, what to do. I tried to quiet my soul and just breathe and listen.
In the midst of the angry madness, God spoke to my heart with a phrase that settled and righted my upended emotions. Just like when Jesus calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee, I felt a whisper and calming in my heart that brought about almost immediate peace.
He said, “There is no room in your spirit for this.”
I could almost feel my tears dry and my anger come to a screeching halt. “There is no room in your spirit for this.” It took me a moment, but it was as if God was saying that I am too precious for Him to stand by and watch me have all this emotional struggle. He was reminding me of my value to Him. I may not feel valuable to others at times, but to God I am always priceless.
We sometimes allow something to settle in our spirit that pushes us down, draws us away from God or makes us feel less than. The replay of those feelings just makes it worse. There IS room in our spirit for that which helps us to be humble, wise and draw near to our Heavenly Father. When we have something in our spirit and thought life that causes us to live and think opposite of Scripture, there is no room for that.
For those of us married to medical professionals it’s especially important to allow room in our Spirit for the things that will build up our marriage and family. The world is full of influences and advice that contradicts Scripture and pulls us from the Lord. Making room in our day for kind words, prayer, lingering hugs and a listening ear can go a long way in supporting and encouraging our doctor husbands.
That day when things got off to such a rough start for me, I had my focus on hard, hurtful feelings and how to get revenge. This was definitely not of the Spirit. However, Galatians 5:22 provides a list of a good diet for our Spiritual nourishment. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” This verse goes on to reminds us that, “Against such things there is no law.”
There is room in our spirit for that because it’s from the Lord.
Father God,
the way you know my soul and spirit is a gift. Thank You for knowing what to tell my heart and how to encourage me to not stay stuck in a spiral of negative emotions. Please continue to stretch my spirit and make room for You, Your Spirit and the truth of Your Word. Help me to empty my spirit of all the elements that weigh me down, are unnecessary and draw me away from You.
There is room in my spirit for more of You!
In the Name of Jesus,
Amen!
Dawn Mast is a speaker and writer for Encouragement Cafè Ministries who brings reassurance, scripture application, and delightful humor to those married to medical professionals. She and her physician husband have four adult children, a daughter-in-law, one grandson, and two dogs, and live in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
