Time for Spring Cleaning!

As the warmer weather approaches, it is time for us to think about Spring cleaning. Now those of you who know me know that I am not speaking about literally cleaning your house. No, I fall short of the quintessential proverbs 31 woman. What I am referring to is emotional and spiritual Spring cleaning.


Now is a good time to reflect upon the things that need to be cleared out of your mind and soul. What are you carrying around within you that is stealing your joy, your focus, your energy or your peace? What is distracting you from accomplishing the things God has for you to do? These are very important questions to ask yourself, because if you are unaware of the things that are holding you back, then you cannot very well address them and rid yourself of them.


I am going to allow myself to be vulnerable with you all and share something I realized I needed to clean out of my spirit. My good friend and soul sister, Linda, is such a blessing to me. She and I had a very honest conversation about race relations in the US. She is an African American woman and I am a Jewish Caucasian woman. I mention my religion because it is a part of who I am. My grandfather came over from Germany on the last ship that Roosevelt allowed into the harbor before he closed it. You see, my grandfather and his parents realized they needed to leave Germany because of Hitler's pogroms.  They had the insight to know it was time to leave. Unfortunately, their extended family was not so lucky. Most of their relatives stayed, because they were in denial about what was happening and they paid with their lives. They died in the death camps of Nazi Germany.


Linda and I shared how we each have been affected by prejudice, racism and anti-Semitism and how that has colored the way we have viewed the world. She shared with me that she has been dealing with people treating her badly or differently because of her race and how she never felt that this country fully embraced African Americans. I shared with her how much my heart hurt when some minorities assume that I am racist just because of my race. I always thought I was angry about that, but it was really more of a deep hurt within me that people would hate me without even knowing me. Being Jewish, there have been and still are different groups who want me and my brethren gone and that fires up the righteous indignation within me, sometimes to the point of intense anger. Although justified, it is not good for me.


Linda cried as I shared these feeling with her. Linda and I have a connection that we call a "God connection." She felt my pain and helped me to understand this anger must be cleaned out from me in order for me to accomplish what God has in store for me. Linda is a beautiful child of God and I am so blessed to have her as my soul sister. She is such a wonderful example of loving everyone as God wants us to love.  I am so thankful that God put her in my life to challenge me spiritually and to show me what is not of Him. So here today, the Spring cleaning project for my soul is to rid myself of anger and bitterness, even for those who hate me. I will follow God's command to love my neighbor as myself. I thought I had been doing that, but God has a way of showing us what we need to deal with so that we can be pure vessels for Him to do with us what He pleases. Linda and I have much to accomplish together and I want to be in right standing before Him who created me. Whatever your motivation, think about what you want your Spring cleaning project to be and clean it out! You have so much to do in this life. Now get busy! God bless.