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What lies beneath
The metaphor of spiritual subfloors continues for Sister Maxine and myself. We had a work crew come in this weekend (starting at 6 a.m. on Saturday morning) to smash out the tile, remove and replace the subfloor, and lay new tile and grout.
That meant, among other things, that the fridge and appliances as well as all our kitchen stuff had to be moved. You have no idea (or maybe you do!) what lies beneath major appliances, what gets stuck on cabinets and back walls. We found half a cell phone, a blue plastic watch, a pizza coupon from February 2008, and other things that ought never be mentioned (So THAT’s where meatball went).
Sometimes when you remove the surface layer, with its smooth exterior and familiar cracks, you find some stuff that you lost, stuff that needs to be cleaned up, and some stuff that doesn’t even belong to you! And in the process of digging through the exterior and subfloor, you create a ton of dust and debris and, frankly, a giant mess. Fine particles of dirt cover everything, not just the place you started at. There’s a layer of dust inside the cupboards, on the bookshelves, and even in your eyes and nose and lungs (God bless the makers of inhalers).
We never know what we’ll find when we begin to dig into our spiritual life — which in fact is the whole of our lives, who we are really and truly. We might find a few cracks, a tile that doesn’t fit so well, a long-lost treasured item, or some junk that we can heave out because it’s not ours to carry. The process and what we find along the way sometimes may be difficult or more trouble than its worth.
But it is always worth the effort. Despite sneezing, congestion, junk everywhere, a hairball-throwing cat, the taste of grout, and a messy cleanup, it’s worth it. Because in the end, no matter what the outcome, we’ve done something. We’ve taken a step, we’ve faced things that haven’t seen the light of day but that none the less affect us, as Sister Maxine noted last week.
It makes me want to take out my spiritual chisel and get to work on some of those areas I want to understand better and change for the better. What’s your spiritual tool of choice? Is it a chisel, a sledgehammer, a bucket?
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{ 9 comments }
What about one of those delicate brushes used for archeological digs?
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My tool would be music to help motivate me. Along the way I can find surpise and tresures and tell my self that’s where that was. I did’t know I had that.
Happy remodling day!
Fly
Reading this today made me laugh. My “spiritual tool” is definitely the sledgehammer. I came across an old email from someone this morning asking if she should bring the sledgehammer to the next time we talked.
i have to go with the backhoe. i have so much garbage blocking my view of god most days i need to clear it all out before i can even pray right. on good days, though, i just need an x-acto knife to whittle off the rough edges.
A dremel router is my tool of choice – it can drill, sand , carve, shape, trim, and polish – all rather uncomfortable processes for the object under consideration, but necessary to bring about the desired outcomes.
Reminds me of this quotation which I wrote in a journal 50 years ago. I’ve lost the source, but it has served me well: “This present circumstance which presses so hard upon you is the best shaped tool in the master’s hand to shape you for eternity. Trust Him, then. Do not push away the tool lest you spoil the work.”
Go dremel!
everything from “delicate brushes” to a “sledgehammer”…. love it!
Often times when we are in need of ‘work’ on ourselves, it is not a comfortable or easy process. Often, the demolition is messy, painful, and reveals many unexpected surprises…
The reconstructive process is equally challenging. Making ‘design’ choices so that the end result is better than the starting project. What improvements will be made? what will the final product be? As with most reconstruction projects, there usually ends up being more work than originally expected and the process is also generally more costly than originally estimated. However, as is the case with spiritual restoration and renovation, it is worth the extra effort and pain.
I agree, Marsha! Especially when I remember to turn on the spiritual “motor” before starting to use it.
Laughing at/with Marg – the dremel only works well when plugged in and on – otherwise it’s a clumsy tool that will likely spoil the work. Now what metaphor can we draw from that thought?