Moving on, letting go, and the conflict of religious holidays

Let’s say you are standing on the banks of a river and decide that you’d like to live in the land on the other side. So, you find a canoe, start paddling, and successfully make the journey there. Once you make it to the other side, would it be necessary to strap the canoe to your back and lug it around on your back all the time? Of course not, the canoe did it’s job by getting you there; it served its purpose.

Likewise on our spiritual journey, there are many different tools that help us get unstuck, resolve or address something, or stretch out into new dimensions of freedom. Once you get unstuck, resolve the issue, or find the freedom, that tool (concept, teaching, understanding, practice) did its job and served its purpose. My point here is that it is okay to move on. You may start to feel a bit bored or empty with some of the concepts, teachings, understandings, and practices that were once very significant and worthwhile for you. It’s okay. That’s what happens. There’s nothing wrong with that. The letting go part can be a bit uncomfortable, and sometimes you’re not quite sure what’s next. But holding on too long when it’s time to move on will only deepen that emptiness, and make you sick inside.

I’ve been wondering this week if this even applies to religious holidays. The thought crossed my mind with Easter approaching. My personal interest in Jesus has steadily grown over the years as I have personally become less and less connected to organized Christianity. But despite my interest in Jesus, the idea of celebrating religious holidays doesn’t resonate with me personally anymore. Even for a period before now it seemed like I was simply going though the motions. Can anyone else relate to this? How has it played out for you? I don’t think this is a “right” or “wrong” thing. I’m just sharing where I am.