STEP ONE: BREATHE

Take a deep, cleansing breath. Allow the air to fill your lungs and expand your body. Exhale and empty yourself into the room. Repeat three times - once for the one who Created you, once for the Incarnate One who walks beside you, and once for the Spirit whose life fills your being.

STEP TWO: DWELL IN WORD

“Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.”

— Psalm 51:10-12

The Need for Spiritual Care

Life is busy and our schedules are packed. Sometimes you go to church; sometimes you don’t. Sometimes your spirit gets what it needs; sometimes it doesn't. Your experience isn’t unusual. Our spiritual lives need care but it doesn't seem like we have the time. Even if we were able to carve out some space, where do we start? Working on increasing our spiritual health can be overwhelming.

Like a backyard in springtime, there is so much to do: removing winter debris; seeding grass in the bare spots; planting vegetables and flowers; mulching; and pruning trees. We need to sharpen our vision and make plans. Where do we want color to bloom and brighten? We need to pay attention to our surroundings. Where will the sun appear and what will remain in the shade? We need to consider how we will use our backyard this season. Will we have a party and expect guests? Will we need space for a swing set for children? How much will we be home this year to enjoy our efforts? How much time, energy, and money are we going to invest? Plans and considerations all make demands upon us. They all require brain space and time.

Of course, we could just ignore the backyard. That is always an option. Put it on the backburner until we have a free moment. It is a strategy that ought to come with a warning label. Caution: If you avoid the backyard, spring will still come. Growth and life will happen in the space behind your house whether you are ready for it or not.

If you put backyard tending too far down on the “to-do” list, then there will be chaos in the form of weeds, critters, clutter, and general disorder. Instead of a space for relaxation and respite, unkempt backyards generate other feelings – disorder, guilt, anxiety, unsettled, and out of control.

Our spiritual lives need our care as much as our backyard. It may not seem like we have the time, energy, or know-how to tend to our spirits. It is certainly easier to put our spiritual care on the back burner. Our culture actually encourages such procrastination with constant messages advocating for immediate gratification. Despite the empty promises that distract and deceive, spiritual care is not a one-time draught from a magical amulet. Spiritual care needs our daily attention among the noise, ups, downs, and busyness of life. We need to stop, breathe, dwell in words and stories about God, reflect, and pray.

Lent is a wonderful time for each of us to take care of our spirits. For the next six weeks, I am looking forward to providing portions of my new book, Backyard Parables: Discovering Wisdom Close to Home, to be used each day as a devotional. Take a few minutes each morning to stop, breathe, and reflect on where God might be in the ordinary spaces of your life. Pray and seek to connect with the Christ who lives and continues to bring about new life. Wonder, ponder and hold things in your heart. Grow through engaging others with kindness and compassion. Allow love to shape your life anew.

It is my prayer that this time will be a bountiful harvest of good and Godly things for you.

In Christ’s Light,

Walt

STEP THREE: PRAY

Gracious God,

we begin our Lenten journey marked with ashes that remind us of our frailty and shortcomings. Forgive and renew us in the days ahead. Work within the soil of our lives so that we might bear the fruits of your love.

Through Jesus Christ, amen.