“Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house, or that city, shake the dust off your feet.” Matthew 10:14
These words came as part of the instruction that Jesus offered his disciples as they were dispatched into the mission field. As we travel from one year to another, I think there is an important principle we can heed from this instruction; specifically, the need to purge painful portions of the past.
A couple of days ago, I made three list. One list contained joys from the past year. Another contained concerns or regrets. Lastly one held my hopes for the New Year. I had many joys, but it wasn’t all roses. Last night as I reviewed my journals I realized that there were some real hurts and pains as well. It is healthy, even spiritually necessary, to wipe our feet of those things. Painful events and regrets that are not purged or addressed are like splinters left to fester. The infection can eventually become systemic or too painful to bear. So what do you do?
Consider your last year. Are there hurts that you haven’t addressed? Do you have regrets or resentments that could potentially gnaw at your in the future? What can you do to let go of those and say goodbye to them?
Sometimes physically purging can be very healing. As I moved from Hot Springs to Texarkana, I intentionally left behind some things. For example, I reviewed my email and purged messages that were either hurtful or triggered me to recall painful events. Similarly, I had some books that I inherited from someone who had been particularly hurtful. As much as I loved these books, each time I encountered them they were a trigger to recall and re-experience old stresses. I purged them. I did not need the physical reminder of a very sick person.
What in your life physically links you to the past year in an unhealthy way? Is there some way that you can let go of it and say goodbye to that aspect of the year? In short, what is the dust that clings to your feet and how can you get rid of it, so that you don’t carry it into the New Year?
Peace to you as your purge, from The Practical Disciple.
Excellent idea. It is also very good for our physical health. According to Dr. Caroline Leaf, negative thoughts and emotions actually cause our bodies to secret toxins. This can be very taxing on our bodies and a long term health concern. For ‘o9 clear your mind and clean your body.
Moving forward is a challenge. It isn’t always so easy to get rid of the past. It’s one of those weird relationships. You hate some of the things that happened and don’t want to relive them, but you can’t seem to let them go either. Maybe it is because of the crutch they provide (victim status) or maybe it is the crucible that refind you and you don’t want to forget where you came from but leaving the past behind you is probably a healthy thing to do. I’ll give it some thought.