Holiday Hangover

I’m not referring to an alcohol hangover …

I’m talking about Easter … lingering on. In my heart and soul!

I don’t know about you, but I consumed a lot of contemplation, praise and celebration via the internet last week and weekend. Culminating Sunday with several church services, a live concert, music from “Bach to Rock”, scripture, even poetry, all centered on Christ’s Crucifixion and Resurrection.

My appetite felt huge, and it took a lot of input to satisfy my hunger. Maybe it’s because outside input has been lacking for a while. Or maybe because I had more time to think about what we were celebrating. I allowed myself to indulge the spiritual hunger and fed myself on God’s words and music till I had no time left to consume. (a.k.a. I needed sleep.)

My kitchen prep was small in comparison. Except for traveling, it’s the smallest table we’ve fed at Easter … just our household four. I polled the house and fixed a few favorites. Thankfully, our Instacart delivery came through with our top choices! We enjoyed every bite and overindulged, but it was obvious chairs were empty and we missed all our people.

Family “Zoom” time was precious, uplifting, and cherished. We got to see all our immediate peeps, even pregnant profiles and pups. Singing happened. It just wouldn’t be us without music of some sort, drum solos included, especially at Easter!

I grant you a free eye roll here … but, there is nothing sweeter to my soul this side of heaven, then hearing my children/grandchildren sing or play music. And it’s magnified by multiples when they sing to and about God. It is instant spirit infusion! So, so precious!

How was your celebration?

What fed your soul?

What did you notice in our different circumstances?

Maybe this time of isolation is a significant time to have some introspection and learn to sense what your spirit needs. Many of us have shown up at church a couple times a week, our entire lives, and spiritual food was prepared for us and fed to us. We just showed up, and we were full. But there is great value in understanding your own needs and learning to self-feed your spirit.

You may still just click buttons and consume. We all do that to an extent. But there is more intention. It’s not habit or routine, like attending Sunday services every week for ___ years. Which becomes part of who you are.

In isolation, there is thought and recognition of “I need to” … tune in, select, find what feeds my spirit. There is certainly an abundance of choices. Thank God! But it’s not what you’ve always done, so more thought goes into it, at least for me.

I just want to encourage you to sense your own spirit.

Listen to what your heart is yearning for. Don’t just be a consumer of what you’ve always consumed. In this unprecedented time, feed your spirit, maybe like never before. It likely needs more input/food. The first step is sensing and listening to what your spirit needs. If you are listening: you’ll sense spiritual hunger. 

It’s easy to mistake spiritual hunger for something else. Is there an unsatisfied something in you? Do you think it’s not seeing other people or work, routine, or even physical food, etc.? Perhaps it’s not those things at all. Maybe your spirit/soul needs nourishment: more focus on your relationship with God.

When your spirit is full and satisfied, it will hangover … spiritual and soulful thoughts lingering in your heart and mind.

At least that’s my experience!

If you missed my Facebook post Sunday, I’ll share it here. It helped fill my soul …

Watching renditions of Christ’s crucifixion has always made me grimace, recoil, cover my eyes and feel sick … may it always be so!! It jolts my heart and mind into the reality of what Jesus did for me! The worst images imaginable still do not show the story in full!! 

Feel free to share with a friend(s).

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