Reclaiming the Spark
Have you ever felt like the enthusiasm you once had for your work was gone?
‘The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your dainties and your splendour are lost to you, never to be found again!’ - Revelation 18:14
Over the years I have met a lot of people who had suffered setbacks. Some had lost their jobs and had trouble finding something they could be excited about again.
Others trudged along with a gloomy demeanor, projecting despair, not the kind of disposition that would help them get hired.
When the pilot light goes out, when the spirit within dies, there is little anyone on the outside, friends, family, therapist, can do to reignite it. It is something we must do for ourselves.
Today's reading from Revelation reminds me to stay alive inside and out, to find something, anything, that can get me charged and ready each day. For me, much of that comes from these morning reflections, which I try to get to first thing each day.
It doesn't always work out that way. Sometimes I don't get to post for hours and other times I miss a day altogether.
But the challenge of finding one thing each day that gets me thinking of the source of all my strength, the guiding light of my life, is what clears my head of all that gunk that accumulates during the night and gives me a fresh start.
It has been said that exercise, especially aerobic exercise, changes our brain chemistry and makes us feel better. I go out for a walk each day and I can tell you that I miss those walks on days when I can't get out. When I get back to my desk after a long walk, I am eager to get going.
The spirit living in us needs us to keep the body alive and strong, and the body needs a strong soul to help it stay engaged and alive. It is a partnership. We need to exercise both body and soul to operate at our peak, to be fully prepared for the day.
I know there are things that can and will happen in my life that will sap my strength, deflate my spirit and cause me to break down. That's life and I can't change it.
What I can do is train for the day when I will need to draw on all my strength, and be totally fit mentally, physically, and spiritually.
For each of us, that training process is different, but a routine of recharging and refreshing is necessary. It is better, in the long run, to keep the spirit alive than to have to find ways to relight and reclaim that spark.
Once we let ourselves drop into despair, our minds and bodies chemically change, and that makes it even harder to recover.
For me, my daily refresher keeps me going and keeps me positive.
What works for you?
More to come...
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