The Bible is a big book. But it does not cover everything.
It does not tell you what to watch on television. It does not tell you what to drink. It does not tell you what to wear. It does not tell you what kind of music to listen to. It does not tell you how to style your hair or whether you can have a tattoo.
Those are blank spaces. And we have filled them.
The Blank Spaces
Let me show you what I mean:
There is no verse that says: do not watch R-rated movies. None. Zero. That is a blank space. We filled it.
There is no verse that says: do not drink alcohol. None. That is a blank space. We filled it.
There is no verse that says: women should not wear pants. There is actually a verse that says women wore pants in the Old Testament. That is a blank space. We filled it.
There is no verse that says: Christians should not get tattoos. None. That is a blank space. We filled it.
There is no verse that says: do not go to movie theaters. That is a blank space. We filled it.
There is no verse that says: do not play cards. That is a blank space. We filled it.
There is an enormous amount of blank space in the Bible. And we have filled every single bit of it with rules. Then we treated our rules as if they are God is rules. And we have lost the difference.
Now here is the question: is that a problem?
Why We Fill the Blank Space
We fill the blank space because we want certainty. We want to know what is right and what is wrong. We want a rule for everything, so we never have to think, decide, or struggle.
But that is not how faith works. Faith is about relationship, not rules. And a relationship with God requires you to learn to hear His voice, to discern His will, to grow in wisdom.
When we fill the blank space with rules, we shortcut the growth. We do not have to learn to hear God. We just have to follow the rules. And that is easier. But it is also hollow.
"Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety."
Proverbs 11:14Guidance is not the same as rules. Guidance is relational. It is ongoing. It is personalized. And it requires you to actually listen.
What We Lost
Here is what we have lost: the ability to discern.
We have outsourced our conscience to rules. We do not ask: what does God want me to do? We ask: what is the rule? And when the rule does not cover the situation, we are lost.
We have also lost the ability to extend grace. When someone breaks one of our rules, we treat them as if they have broken God is law. And that is not fair. And it is not kind.
We have lost the ability to focus on what matters. We focus on the rules we made up, and we ignore the things God actually said. And that is backwards.
The Twist
Here is what nobody expects: the blank space is a gift.
God gave us a book that covers the big things and leaves the small things to us. That is not an accident. That is intentional. He wants us to learn to hear Him, to grow in wisdom, to become mature enough to make our own decisions.
The blank space is where we learn to walk by faith, not by rules. It is where we develop character. It is where we become who He wants us to be.
So what do we do with the blank space? We can fill it with rules, or we can learn to hear God is voice. One builds a religion. The other builds a relationship.
Ask Yourself This
What blank spaces have you filled with rules? What rules do you hold that are not in Scripture? What would happen if you let some of them go and learned to hear God is voice instead?
The Bible is not a rule book for every detail of life. It is a guide for the big things. And the rest is up to you. That is not a flaw. It is the point.
Father, forgive me for filling in the blank spaces with my own rules and treating them as if they are Yours. Teach me to hear Your voice and to grow in wisdom enough to discern what You want for my life. Help me to focus on what matters and to extend grace to others who may make different choices. In Jesus Name, Amen.
With honesty and hope,
Claire