You know that experience of returning from a long trip away back to your little home? You walk in, and you need to reinfuse something, set it right, get its scent back. It’s dark and dead, but you flip on every light. You open windows or turn on air, you light a candle, and you settle the family in.
The stale air leaves, and it’s like the spirit of the home returns: laughter, music, baking things, the sound of little feet on the stairs, lavender on the pillows, petting the cats, suitcases back in storage. It’s not a home without all this.
This morning I thought of the stale, dark state of my own soul if I’ve been away from connecting with Jesus for too long. Every morning, it feels like coming home to myself after I’ve journeyed away, and the scriptures and prayer must set things right, infuse me with fresh Spirit, and illuminate.
I read David’s cry and lift up my soul: “Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long. Bring joy to your servant, for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.” (Psalm 86:3-4)
Reading the psalms each morning is a flipping on of the lights, a swirling of fresh air, and the beautiful movement that makes my soul my bright, joyful home again.