SPRING CLEANING A REFLECTION By Theresa McHugh
“When a flower doesn’t bloom you fix the environment in which it grows not the flower.” – Alexander Den Heijer
Spring is typically a time to spruce up our external environments. Putting in a little extra effort to make our world pretty on the outside. With the seasonal changes upon us, we begin to pull back the curtains and open the windows to allow fresh air and light to re-enter our worlds. A whisper of hope is on the horizon at last. There is a unique energy in May with its explosion of new life as we witness the reawakening of the earth from its dormant wintery state. Wonders in the ordinary surround us.
Approaching this spring I set aside time to reflect on my spiritual life over the last year and have challenged myself to do some spiritual housekeeping. Was I hoarding any negative energy? Had I developed any habits that need attention? Yes, I had to admit that I did feel a heaviness from a nation divided on so many topics and the lingering effects of the isolation and adjustment of a year of “covid.” I didn’t want to allow the seeds of anger, fear, judgmentalness, resentment and unforgivingness to take root and fester. What about you… are you willing to identify and be rid of what no longer serves you, what doesn’t serve God? First, I needed to examine my emerging primary obstacle—distractions. One of which is a true thief of my time – the endless loop of social media. My spiritual sloth. I needed to adjust my environment and place God as the untouchable top priority.
To quiet the outside world, I enjoy reading scripture and Bible journaling. During one prayer time, I was reading the ‘Parable of the Wineskins’ in Luke’s Gospel, “No one pours new wine into old wineskins” (Luke 5:37) and it really made a unique impression on me that particular day. I really gave it an honest consideration. Regardless of my continued desire to be a new creation in Christ, there I was, struggling. Burying myself in digital clutter (refining the art of “busyness”) and bingeing the newest mind numbing Netflix release. I realized I wasn’t shutting out the noise, I just became good at camouflaging it. I couldn’t continue to stitch together the old and the new. Jesus warned exactly of this in that parable. The futility of adding a new nature to an old way of life. I brought that feeling of heaviness to Jesus. We sat with it. I had to try to eliminate those negative pieces in my environment in order to experience the new life that Jesus is calling me to. What dusty corners of your life need attention?
The Holy Spirit moves through my environment like the fresh air and Jesus is my Sunlight. Welcome to Spring !!!
DeColores
Theresa McHugh