New Easter Resolutions

April 05, 2018

New Easter Resolutions

I've been thinking a lot about changes with spring lately. It seems rather fitting for New Years to be in Spring, right after Easter than January 1st. In the Spring life is starting, birds are laying eggs, bunnies are hopping out of their hidden homes and life starts! On January 1st well, everything freezes, we get blizzards, eat too much cheese, gain weight and wonder by Valentines Day why we feel fat and depressed. Mind boggling why that would be.

"I feel fat and depressed. I think I need more cheese and naps. Definitely more naps."

So Lent is a great time to meditate on so much of our interior life, and ask questions like why we do things the way we do and what can we do to be better versions of our-self. After those 40 days and the beauty of Holy Week and the joy of Easter it seems perfectly fitting to make "New Years Resolutions" for the mind and spirit which will affect the body.

I love this kneeler. The cushion is super comfy and a great place for quiet prayer. Even 15 minutes here can bring my soul a little closer to where it needs to be.

I was hesitant to take some days off from work on Holy Week thinking "Do I really need to do this?" but deep answers that focus on the big picture of life: what am I doing and how can I do this life better, really only come to me in silence and prayer. Sometimes quiet prayer where there are few words and more thoughts saying to Christ, "I'm here, let me be Yours. I'm so not good at this but I want to be. Please use me and help me be better at this and let me love You and love others like You love us." I'd love to say I had a great bright moment where the answers to all my problems came, but I didn't yet having that time helped my soul prioritize and also take it easy on itself.

I came to the conclusion of a few things and one of them is silence. Not lonely "I feel like screaming and need a hug and a friend 'silence'" but peaceful mental silence. I reflected on things that cause my soul damage and made one of my New Years Resolutions to be to guard the eyes of my soul: being more selective with what I mentally engage in. St. Paul told the early Christians to think on on things that are worthy of God's praise: all that is true, lovely, pure and gracious in Philippians 4:8. And that sounds so simple but in a world where we have lots of great access to knowledge and music and amazing things we also have lots of easy access to trashy news, and terrible images, and things or people that bring jealousy, spite or lust. So I'm going to try to "edit" my thoughts in silence to see how they flow and try to get them back to "true, lovely, pure, and gracious" as well as making a few healthier choices with conversations with friends, and taking better care of my body with food and relaxing. I feel like maybe this should need a list but it's spiritual and a delicate balance between thoughts and soul with facts and actions. It's hard to put "goals" with the spirit other than saying "I'm going to try to be consistent and live in love and ask for help because this is beyond my capacity."

Anyway, tactically speaking, life has changed with spring around here, and I am loving ever second of it from the moody weather to the teeny tiny flowers popping out of their buds and greeting the world.