The Spirit Walk

When I go for a walk I enjoy looking around.  I see the freshly cut grass, beautiful flowers in the yards, and the designs of a persons home.  It's so relaxing!  The things you notice, like the dog you met a week ago, walking opposite you, pleading to cross the street so he can meet you again.  Or, how about the neighbors flowers blooming and the sprinklers fireworks of water gently flowing down to give them a drink.  It's peaceful and makes me smile.  Now, let's take a slightly different kind of walk, a spiritual walk.  As you are walking down the street of your heart, what does your world look like inside?  Look around, notice the color of the lawn or the condition of the houses.  Is the grass mowed or are there at least a few flowers planted?  Maybe, the paint on the shutters is flaking off and the grass is turning brown.  The flowers have withered or are beginning to loose it's pedals.  Some of the sidewalk has broken pieces of cement and tufts of grass creeping up from the cracks.  The condition of the heart, spiritually speaking, needs careful observation.  Look around, what do you notice about yourself?  The disarray and messiness of this place may appear to be somewhat tidy, but those around you will begin to take notice of what truly goes on inside.  The misconception that no one will see the mess and that everything is alright is just that, a misconception.  When I think about all the reasons why the grass has become brown or the paint on the shutters began to chip, I never really change its look, I just question and even complain about its condition.  But when I concern myself with doing something about the brown grass or the chipped paint, my place begins to take shape.  I begin to see the flowers bloom again because the trickle of the sprinkler of my heart begins to cause things to grow again.  I've knelt down and pulled all the weeds out of the soil and cleaned up the flower beds of those traveling vines and blotches of grass. What appears is something beautiful going on in the inside.  With careful watering, sunshine, a little air to breathe.......Spiritual growth comes.  With this tender care and careful tending, growth happens-not that I can make it happen, but with persistent attention to the voice of the Spirit, the gentle leading of the Word, the heart can be a healthy, strong, and fabulous place.