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

The Parable of the Jackhammer:

Listen! A homeowner looked upon an old metal swing set that was in the back corner of his property. It was built a long time ago by the previous owners. For years, the swing set amused and delighted children. Their laughter and joy remained alive in the annals of memory. The homeowner smiled as he recalled the precious recollection.

With appreciation for the past, the homeowner considered the present moment. His children had grown beyond the swing-set years. What is more, the metal toy was starting to rust. Disrepair settled in as a result of disuse. A few of the swing seats were broken. The swing set no longer brought joy but instead was an obstacle. It was in the way of the games that grown children play and posed a challenge to cutting the lawn. What will the homeowner do?

He will remove the swing set by cutting it into pieces with a reciprocating saw. To remove the concrete footings that are buried deep in the soil, he will rent a jackhammer from the local home store. With great effort, he will use the hefty tool to break apart the concrete into small pieces. He will discard the broken chunks and fill the holes with topsoil. The homeowner will then plant grass seed. The backyard space will now be ready for new memories.

So shall it be in God’s Kingdom. Those things that no longer bring joy and life will be removed to make room for new possibilities. Rusted obstacles from the past will be taken away so that new spaces are ready for joy to be experienced anew.

A Question to Ponder:

What do you need to remove in your life so that there is a space for new possibilities?

STEP THREE: PRAY

Gracious God,

let me be a part of your work of transformation. Help me to identify those things in my life that prevent me from experiencing your love and joy. Let me see the rust and decay of my biases, prejudices, and shortcomings that separate me from others. Give me the courage to move beyond nostalgia and the past so that I may be more present at this moment. Strengthen me to respond in new ways to your life in my life. Guide the hard work of clearing and discarding so that I might plan and plant for what is to come.

Through Christ, Amen.