Cleaning Out the Dust:

Many of us are familiar with the term "Spring Cleaning", and now that Spring is upon us, perhaps many of you have gone through closets, drawers, and cupboards and gotten rid of that which is no longer needed, and dusted cobwebs out of ceiling, corners, and hidden places. 

Lent and the days following Easter are perfect times for doing our own personal and spiritual spring cleaning.

Why, you may ask? Why would I need to do a personal or spiritual spring cleaning? My life is on track. Things are ok. I'm doing well.

 

That may be true on the surface, but what are you harboring beneath that? What is swimming around in the depths of your spirit that needs to be fished out?

I believe that no matter your socioeconomic status, physical beauty, or popularity, we are all broken in one form or another. Why do I bring up the rich, famous, and well to do? Because many believe they have it easy because of these things. There is much truth in the adage that "Money can't buy happiness or love" It's like a drug that makes you feel high in the moment, but then the moment passes, and you're right back where you started.

So despite where one stands on the societal ladder, we have all undergone at least one or more of the following:

-A personal tragedy: the sudden loss of a loved one, loss of a home and belongings due to natural disaster or financial hardship, loss of physical functioning, onset of an incurable illness.

-Abuse: physical, sexual, verbal, enslavement (yes, it is still happening in today's world), or a combination of these.

-Addiction: drugs, alcohol, food, sex, money

-Loneliness and isolation

-Self-doubt, low self-esteem, low self-worth, low self-confidence, self-harm.

So, here we are a bunch of broken vessels. Clay pots shattered in pieces on the ground. Some succumb to life-long depression, some resort back to addictive behaviors, some continue the cycle of abuse, and some shove it all down, put on a mask, and pretend as if everything is always fine. All of us, still go through each day and night, physically intact and alive, having put the pieces back together as best we can. With any broken vessel, once it has been broken, no matter how carefully and exact the pieces are fitted back together, the cracks still remain.

In these cracks, dust and debris collects--much like the dirt that gets trapped in the grout between ceramic tiles. The dust that collects in our cracks is negative triggers and emotions, and like the dirt that gets trapped between tiles; it continues to build if we don't clean it out. The build-up can become so intense, that each day, is a struggle to get through, and depression takes over, leading to a whole host of physical and mental health issues.

So why focus on this during Lent and immediately after Easter? Isn't Springtime a period of new growth and renewal? Isn’t Spring a happy time?  Exactly! Springtime is the perfect time to experience our own renewal and re-growth along with the natural world that surrounds us. Through this, we can enjoy a happy time.

During Lent, we journey through a dark period with Jesus. He attempts to groom and prepare his disciples for that which is to come, and in the process, he also prepares himself. This period of inward reflection, allows us to stop, invite the silence to come, and plumb our own depths.

 

After Easter, the disciples felt as if they were on their own. Some even doubted that their leader was indeed risen from the dead and would return to them. They felt lost and alone. Jesus did return and gave instruction as to the continued development of the early church by the disciples, and the Holy Spirit spoke to them and through them.

 

In the 50 days leading up to Pentecost, if we turn back to that daily silence, and seek renewal through the Holy Spirit, we will, indeed, be refreshed and renewed, and the breath of Jesus will blow every speck of dust out of the cracks. Like broken clay, the cracks will remain as memories of what was, but the dust that collects there, is quite removable, if we desire it to be.

 

The choice is only yours to make; Do you spend your days in self-pity or seeking attention from others to fix your current state of being (which no one can do except you? --

 

People can make us feel better, but it is only temporary. We need to do the work ourselves), or do something about it and move on. You deserve to be happy.

 

God wants His children to be happy, and you can attain it, if you only clean out the dust.