Spring cleaning time! Spiritual spring cleaning too!
I don’t know about you, but I am fired up to unclutter, clean, and generally corral all the messes in my house. This season energizes me for scrubbing, polishing, and peering into corners and cabinets to get rid of dust, crumbs, and junk. But what about Spiritual Spring Cleaning?
I began thinking about this as I watched Lucy, the robin I wrote about a few weeks ago. She built her nest. She laid her eggs. She sat and sat and soon hatched eggs. Now Lucy has been dutifully attending, feeding, and caring for three babies with constant open mouths begging for more food, attention and her presence.
Not only does she bring them curly, squirmy worms to fill their tummies, each time she tidies up the nest. She looks around, pokes under each baby, and picks us what no longer belongs in her home. First, she inspired me with her persistence; now she inspires me with her practice.
Spiritual Spring Cleaning
Lucy is teaching me three things about spiritual spring cleaning.
- Routine – what gets built into my habits, rituals, and schedule, gets done. I can wish and plan all I want, but unless I carve out the time to work on what is important, often the urgent and distractions overcome my heart. Daily prayer. Consistent Bible study. Journaling and going on retreat. Confession. Being and deeply listening to God on what needs to stay and what needs to go. Essential practices of spiritual spring cleaning.
- Seek – Be curious. Look underneath. What isn’t being done? What is being missed? What is lurking in dark corners? Lucy scrutinizes the nooks and crannies of her nest. She examines what isn’t at first obvious but needs attention. In silence, I hear the whispers of my spirit. In stillness, I sense a hunger, an emptiness, an itch inviting me to stretch and grow. In solitude, I ask God to shine his light on my shadows and blow the dust from my soul.
- Ask – Spiritual spring cleaning means asking the difficult often neglected questions. Is it time to let go of what I am comfortable with and embrace new adventures? What is capturing my attention instead of God? What has become a crutch instead of walking with the Spirit? What does my calendar, to do list, agenda and checkbook tell me about my priorities? What is filling the space of my heart instead of God? Where do I have spiritual blinders on, missing God’s invitations? What fresh possibilities await me yet this year?
Lucy’s three babies are stretching their wings and have about outgrown their nest. They soon will be gone. We decided for the time being to leave the nest she so diligently created alone, just in case she wants to use it again. But I sense she may start again elsewhere.
That is another lesson, isn’t it? Leaving what we know and starting again anew. Spring cleaning our hearts and souls to fly with God the Creator into new chapters.
How is God inviting you to spring clean spiritually this year?
“Leaving what we know and starting again anew.” That can be so tricky, yes? But we have to do it again and again in our lives. I love how you incorporated the baby birds into this topic! Have a great weekend, Jean. My grandbaby is on her way to my house right now so I know I’ll have fun this weekend. 🙂
hope you are enjoying that special time with the grandbaby. They grow so quickly!!
I need to sweep away more cobwebs of busyness. Just this morning I read an appropriate devotional in A Moment to Breathe, from (in)courage. Emily P. Freeman says, “Sometimes I need to engage in an activity for the single purpose of disengaging from productivity.” She explains the necessity of paying attention to our souls, which requires space, silence, and Jesus. “Sometimes I need to work quietly with my hands,” Emily states, “in order to settle my soul.” (p. 22). When she wrote the devotional, she’d just taken up crocheting. I think she’s on to something! I, too, have returned to crafting (albeit not often) with the intent of “disengaging from productivity” and creating space for God to meet me in my thoughts and settle my soul.
that is a very wise quote. I think a keyword is space – space to breath, space for God. space to hear our own voices. I attended a weekend retreat called soul collage – we sat quietly and made beautiful pictures. so working with our hands to quite an insight. I love your comment – you have me thinking.
I love how Lucy inspired the lessons you have presented to us here, Jean. These are good and necessary questions to ask ourselves as we embark on a spiritual spring cleaning. I’m all in!
Blessings, my friend!
The little birds are now all gone. We have left the nest up – hoping she comes back for family #2 but so far hasnt appeared. Guess I need to find God elsewhere, LOL.