Director of Spiritual Care Jim Andrews
As we get older, one of the health concerns we need to watch out for is plaque build-up in our arteries. If too much of these deposits develop, our blood flow is restricted and all kinds of unhealthy things can happen.
If you think about it, there is a corollary for our spiritual health. When something happens that we experience as unpleasant, it has the potential to create that same kind of build up in our spirit. Someone becomes cross with you, and you spend the rest of the day ruminating about it and avoid that person for the next week. You try something new and it doesn’t go well, so you make a mental note to never try that again! You feel betrayed by someone close to you, so you hesitate before you trust anyone again with what is in your heart. If we tense up and hold on to the negative feelings surrounding these kinds of life events, it inevitably builds up blockages in our spirits which inhibit the flow of love coming in or going out!
It doesn’t have to be this way. When we become aware of this process, we can stop it in its tracks! Try it this week. When something unpleasant occurs, relax and release. Instead of tensing up, will yourself to relax. Allow yourself to experience the negative feelings and let them pass through you. Let them go. No need to carry them around for the rest of the day much less the rest of your life!
May your blood . . . and your love . . . flow freely today and always! Have a great week, everyone.
Jim