Gaining a Peaceful Soul

Interfaith Celebration Gathering

There was a couple who had a long-haired cat. His fur was golden and fluffy, and he left bits and pieces of it all over their home. Every time they vacuumed up all the fur, he would begin leaving it all over their house again.

He was a newcomer to their home, coming to live with them and their three cats after his person died, and he just wanted to establish his presence in their home.

Cats are not the only animals who like to mark their territory. Ants leave a pheromone trail so other ants can follow them to the food supply they have found. Honeybees also release chemical signals for marking food sources.

Dogs, cats, jackals and other animals use urine to mark their territory. We humans aren’t so different, either, although we usually do not usually urinate on our territory. We spread our things around wherever we are as a means of claiming territory, even if it is only in a motel room.

We like to lay claim to things and people because it makes us feel special. As we are claiming things as ours, many of us miss the fact that all the things we possess are actually God’s things on loan to us. Thus some of us clutter up our lives with things for which we have no need.

Look around you in your home. If what you see is clutter, then you need to move some of God’s things elsewhere where they can benefit someone else. Once you open up your own space, you may even find that some of the things you have wanted for a while come your way.

Removing clutter also has an added benefit – it can bring peace to your soul that cannot always be found in the midst of clutter.

May the God of love add a blessing to these humble words.

AMEN