Another one of Lyn's Midweek Musings

 

Most of you know that one of my Granddaughters has a life threatening illness (two actually) and that her Father is a Royal Marine, which means that he is away from home more often than not.  For this reason, my daughter has formed a bubble with Dave and myself.  It is also for this reason that Dave and I have to be extremely careful.  I have asked that anyone entering the office cleans all surfaces, and anything that they may have touched, with anti bacterial wipes before leaving.  Even when we are not in enforced lock down, I have to do what I can to avoid even socially distanced physical contact, conducting meetings via zoom and wherever possible, working alone rather than with my colleagues.  This goes against the grain somewhat, but it is important and a sacrifice I have to make.  I realise that I am far from alone in this, indeed most of us are doing much the same, just to comply with government guidance, the difference is, due to my personal circumstances,  I am quite possibly more acutely aware of the need.

 

This brings me to the point of this blog post: how aware are we of the things that are life threatening to the Spirit of God that dwells within us?  How much care do we take to protect it?  Some of the things that are life threatening to the spirit within us are common to all, but some vary from one individual to another.  For some, solitude feeds the Spirit while for others, loneliness is damaging.  For some silence is important while for others, singing helps their spirit soar, whether that singing be traditional or modern, soft and gentle or enthusiastically loud.  Sometimes, to protect the Spirit of God within, we need to avoid things that we might find pleasant.  Even though we love to spend time with our Granddaughter, and have permission to do so,  to protect her, we stay away unless we are needed, either to calm her, or as in recent days, to get her to a medical appointment when her Mother was unable to drive.  What things do you find pleasant that could actually be spiritually damaging?  It could be something that in moderation is fine, but excessive amounts of anything can be damaging.  Do we spend excessive amounts of time or money on anything?  Could these things shift our focus from the God that we serve?  There are many, many things to consider.

 

Advent is fast approaching, and like Lent, it is a time for a spiritual spring clean or more appropriately, a December de-clutter.  Let us resolve to take time during the coming season, to reflect on our spiritual lives, asking for God’s guidance on how to protect His Spirit within us, and let us act upon the guidance that He gives.

 

God bless