Like Breathing Through a Straw

I love spring and this year our spring was really short. The standing joke is that in Ontario we have three seasons: winter, almost winter, and roadwork. This year we didn’t see the warmer spring weather until May and we are just now feeling a touch of summer heat.
What I don’t like about spring is the pollen, mold and other allergens that have only started to plague me in the last few years. They touch off an asthmatic response and make it difficult to breathe. Some days I feel like I am breathing through a straw and there is no way to get more air.
Our walk with God can feel like that sometimes. We let other ‘stuff’ enter our lives and it clogs our communication with the Almighty. Things we’ve heard, seen or read fill up our minds and make that clean artery of relationship congested and dirty. It’s hard to share our deepest thoughts and emotions with our Lord. It’s equally hard to hear and understand what He is trying to share with us. Feeling the cleansing breath of the Spirit is like breathing through a straw.
I know the Lord is urging me to start getting rid of the ‘allergens’ in my life that are clogging my communication with Him. There isn’t any Claritin for this. Relief will only come in the laying down of my life for Him daily and renewing myself in His love. Thank God He has the power to refresh, renew and rejuvenate our relationship. Now I can breathe…just breathe.