Dusty Corners

When the rhythm of my life is out of synch and I’ve permitted the pace to sweep me along with the hurried masses, I get grumpy.  I lose connection with my soul and who I am. As my “Yes’s” pile up and overwhelm my days with activity, so do my “No’s” to the spiritual practices I thrive on to listen for God’s voice. 

My schedule fills and I default to the not so spiritual practice of neglect.

In my home, this means tidying up the house yields to a promise for later. Meals become fast and processed. Exercise gets slashed. In relationships with God, family, friends and strangers I rely on the culturally acceptable excuse, “I’m too busy right now.”

I actually say, “My life is so full.”

This avoids the “B” word. Busy. I’ve been taught that word red flags unhealthy soul practices. But a “full” life makes me feel better. I tell myself I am choosing what I am doing. It seems easier to say “Yes” to life’s unrelenting demands, the pleasing of others and fulfilling expectations rather than protecting time for the priorities and assignments God has given to me. Instead of choosing the thoughtful “No” that honors my limitations and my calling, I try to juggle both the requests of my small world and my soul’s priorities.

These are signs that my life has become disordered.

When the corners of my house are dusty and there are cobwebs on the dining room chandelier most often the nooks and crannies of my soul are neglected too.

When I am pleading busyness in my relationships, my prayers are hurried and distracted.

When my body care is compromised, so too is my Sabbath rest.

Tending to commitments I ought not to have made leaves me desolate and discouraged. Once again my compromise comes into focus.

I still myself in silence, solitude and prayer.  I begin to address the cobwebs in my soul as well the dust bunnies in my house. Perspective becomes clearer. Peace returns. I know my belovedness and sense my arrow pointing true.

I commit to my rule of life. Puttering about doing chores in silence and practicing solitude and prayer, keep my interior and exterior being in rhythm with the Beloved Trinity. When my soul keeping is my priority, the cobwebs in my house are tended to as well.