The Stripping Process

Excerpt:

The first thing people do when restoring old chairs is strip --- strip right down to the bare wood.  They do this to see what the original might have looked like and to determine if the thing is worth doing over.  They strip away all the years of grime, the garish coats of paint piled one on top of the other.  They get rid of all the junk that's been tacked on through the years and try to find the solid, simple thing that's underneath.

I'm like an old chair needing that stripping process.  Every now and then I have to take a really hard look at the illusions I've built up in myself and my society, see what I've gotten myself into.  Illusions?  Yes, illusions; the excess baggage I carry around, the unnecessary, the socially expected, all that keeps me living off center too long.  Stripping myself of all this is an intentional letting go of these illusions.  It is a spiritual act of personal forgiveness.  God lets us let go.

It's hard work to let God forgive me.  I have to discover the original under all these coats I've added, strip away all the cynicism and anger I've built up, get rid of the junk I've taken on, defy my disappointments, and find what is real again.

                                                           --- Donna Schaper
                                                                in Stripping Down

This morning I was sitting in my comfy chair in the computer room, gazing out the window watching the birds.  The sun was shining and all seemed right with my world.  Then in the next instant, the sun was still shining, but it was raining at the same time!  How odd I thought, but then I realized it was not odd at all.  Nature was simply reflecting my own inner feelings...grateful for bright new beginnings, but sorrow for what must be released.

Like an old chair, layers of caked on grime and paint must be removed from me in order to "try to find the solid, simple thing that's underneath."  I won't be using harsh chemicals, but rather a soft hand sanding to gently brush the old away.  Rubbing ever so softly, I will hopefully not destroy the original grain. This process may take a while, but the outcome will be well worth the effort. 

God's forgiveness is not difficult for me to receive at all.  The warmth of the Divine light surrounds me.  The spiritual personal forgiveness ... ah, that's the rub for me.