Finding Spiritual Whitespace: Awakening Your Soul to Rest

Move beyond Coping and Surviving to a Rejuvenating Place of Soul Rest

How many of us find ourselves exhausted, running on empty with no time for rest, no time for ourselves, no time for God? Bonnie Gray knows exactly what that's like. On the brink of fulfilling a lifelong dream, Bonnie's plans suddenly went off script. Her life shattered into a debilitating journey through anxiety, panic attacks, and insomnia. But as she struggled to make sense of it all, she made an important discovery: we all need spiritual whitespace.

Spiritual whitespace makes room--room in one's heart for a deep relationship with God, room in one's life for rest, room in one's soul for rejuvenation. With soul-stirring vulnerability and heartbreaking honesty, Bonnie takes readers on a personal journey to feed their souls and uncover the deeper story of rest. Lyrical writing draws readers into Gray's intimate journey through overwhelming stress to find God in a broken story and celebrate the beauty of faith.

Guided by biblical encouragement and thought-provoking prompts, Gray shows readers how to create space in the everyday for God, refreshment, and faith. She also offers practical steps and insights for making spiritual whitespace a reality, right in the midst of the stress-frayed stories in every season of life.

"We live in a culture that brags and boasts about being busy. Into that reality steps Bonnie with a new idea. Whitespace is an important concept and Bonnie has captured it perfectly. If you're exhausted with being exhausted, read this book. If you feel too busy to read this book, then that's probably the best sign of all that you need it."--from the foreword by Jon Acuff, New York Times bestselling author of Stuff Christians Like

From the Back Cover

Move beyond Surviving to a Rejuvenating Place of Soul Rest

How many of us find ourselves running on empty with no time for rest, no time for ourselves, no time for God? 

Bonnie Gray knows what that's like. On the brink of fulfilling a lifelong dream, she saw her plans shatter into a journey through painful memories and anxiety. In her search for answers, she made an important discovery: we all need spiritual whitespace.

Whitespace. It's the space on a page left unmarked. Untouched. Whitespace makes art beautiful. It gives the eye a place to rest. Just like beautiful art, our souls need balance and beauty.      

With heartbreaking honesty, Bonnie guides you to discover a better story for yourself, one that feeds your soul and makes room for rest. Infused with biblical encouragement and thought-provoking prompts, this book shows us how to create space in the everyday for God, refreshment, and faith--right in the midst of our stress-frayed lives.


"Whitespace is soul grace. Bonnie Gray ushers weary women into the real possibility."--Ann Voskamp, New York Times bestselling author of One Thousand Gifts

"Women need this message. If you want to hear Jesus speak more tenderly to your soul than ever before, this is the book for you."--Lysa TerKeurst, New York Times bestselling author of Unglued

"We live in a culture that brags and boasts about being busy. Into that reality steps Bonnie with a new idea."--from the foreword by Jon Acuff, New York Times bestselling author of Start


Bonnie Gray is the soulful writer behind faithbarista.com, serving up shots of faith for the daily grind. Her work is featured on DaySpring (in)courage and nationally syndicated on Crosswalk.com. After graduating from UCLA, Bonnie served as a missionary, ministry entrepreneur, and Silicon Valley high-tech professional. She lives in Northern California with her husband, Eric, and their two sons.


REVIEWS & AWARDS

Named by Crosswalk as one of the Best Books for Christian Women in 2014

"This is a soul-stirring book that takes you on a journey to make space in life to nurture your heart with God and dream dreams in new ways. This book will give women permission to say yes to God, practical ways to say yes to rest and find the spark in their hearts again."--Kelly Givens, editor of iBelieve

"Gray, a popular blogger at Faith Barista, set out to fulfill her lifelong dream of writing a book. When she began, however, repressed memories resurfaced and the book turned into a reluctant account of her journey through unrecognized post-traumatic stress. The author relates the heartbreaking childhood experiences that led to severe panic attacks, insomnia, and fear. Helping her through her confrontation with her own past are a supportive husband, a good therapist, and whitespace--places in her life like the blank areas of an artist's canvas--where she can rest and tend her soul. She offers intriguing insights into Scripture and on how God views his flawed but beloved creations. At each chapter's end, journaling prompts help readers identify areas where they need to create white space. More than just a memoir, this is an invitation to walk the difficult road to self-discovery and healing with a fellow traveler who understands. Learning how to identify stressors and eliminate emotional clutter will benefit anyone, not just those suffering from PTSD."--Publishers Weekly, starred review