Well, by gosh, Spring is in the air. With Spring comes a flurry of activity for many folks. Spring Break for the kids. Gardening for those so inclined to dig in the dirt. Cleaning out our spaces for those fastidious types. And finally, moving. Spring is one of those busy times for families who are considering moving to new places.
Some of you may know, I’m in the process of moving this Spring as well. After my beloved Antoine passed away, I looked around at a big house full of memories. The memories I want to keep, the big house, not so much. Its just too large for one person and I just feel its time to let a new family come in and make their memories here. So, I’ve been hard at packing up things, and cleaning out spaces. I even had a company come and conduct an estate sale/online auction to rid myself of a large amount of unneeded things and clutter.
The estate sale ended last week, and the pick up for the items was on Sunday. The way the process works, the company takes care of all the details and asks the homeowner to not be present on the pick up day. I’m guessing for obvious reasons, sometimes people can’t bear to see their precious possessions walk out the door. Creates a not good scenario.
I complied with the company’s request and rode with some friends for a couple hours for them to get their COVID vaccination. I spent the day with my friends and tried not to think about what was happening at my place. When I arrived home, it was almost surreal. The house was emptied of so much stuff. Rooms were utterly echoing with emptiness. An overwhelming sense of loneliness struck me, and before I knew it I was deeply sad. The person I loved didn’t live here any more. The many of the things I had cherished were gone. Like the house, I was feeling somewhat empty inside.
All of this got me to thinking about our relationship with God.
God, from the beginning of our lives has worked on a relationship with us. God has watched over us, nurtured us, invested so much time and love in creating us. God imagined spending our lifetime with us. Then life happens, seasons come and go. Activities and energies wax and wane. Pretty soon, we are so wrapped up in our own stuff, we’ve left God behind.
I think maybe God gets lonely too. God endures a sadness when God comes into our lives and we don’t take notice. Its almost like entering an empty room or house. It echos with our non-engagement with God’s presence. I can imagine God walking into our presence and feeling so very sad that we have cluttered our lives up to such a point, we don’t have space or time for God.
There’s something freeing about de-cluttering and making room. Those things that I thought were so important, really weren’t. I feel freed up and lighter in so many ways. One of the things I’m beginning to notice is time. I truly believe I have more time. Stuff took my attention and time, and by streamlining what I have to take care of, I have more time. That time is time I can spend God. I can tell God how I’m feeling. I can share my sadness with God, and I can take the time to feel God’s loving embrace around me. I hear God more clearly as God whispers in my ear, “I know your sadness, I know your pain, and I’m here for you always.”
You know, maybe emptying myself of so much clutter really is a wonderful opportunity. Maybe Spring cleaning is just what I need to draw closer to God.
My prayer for each of you is that you will recognize God’s presence in your life, and clear out and make room to draw closer to God. I guarantee you, God wants to draw closer to you. Happy Spring cleaning!
Love and Peace,
Pastor Tom