Glitter and Cobwebs

being comfortable with "what is"

My daughter opens her tiny pixie dust case. Glitter gently falls to the ground and sweeps over her smiling face, illuminating the mischievous angel she is.

I don’t fuss with the floors right away. Our home has been glitter bombed enough times to know that with consistent care, it will eventually dissipate, even when it feels as though it will be embedded into our floor boards forever…

Her first glitter bombing offense was when she decided to “pepper” an entire jar all over our newly installed patio right before her birthday party.

My husband and I sprang into action, attempting to pull it all up with lint rollers and masking tape. But the glitter only seemed to be mocking us as it spread like wildfire across the patio, slipping into every nook and cranny, and (sigh), leaving us with an even bigger mess.

And this got me thinking; are far too many of us taking the same approach with our messy feelings too?

When a painful memory bubbles up to the surface, and spills out onto the floor, our first instinct is often to quickly sweep it under the rug before anyone sees, or God forbid before we even allow ourselves to truly see.

But unknowingly, we may also sweep it into the tiny crevices of our heart, blocking our access to genuine peace and joy.

It may sit in the shadows of our soul, waiting to be properly cared for, all the while collecting dust and cobwebs, making the mess and the pain so much larger than we ever intended.

But what if we learned to sit with the discomfort as soon as it arises? To accept it and bless it, and perhaps get curious about it so that it doesn’t spread and subconsciously infiltrate every corner of our lives?

Sure, my floor doesn’t look as clean as I would like in this very moment, but the glitter isn’t here to stay, and there’s also some beauty in the way it sparkles and tells the story of a special little girl who lives here.

And I’m willing to bet that your messy feelings tell the story of a very special person too. Someone worthy of being seen and tended to — glitter, cobwebs, dust and all.