“Help!” So began
a conversation with my sister over a seemingly trivial
problem. She was re-arranging some things in her house
and had come to the realization that one large silk plant
simply did not fit anywhere. Now, my sister and I are
radically different in personality and one of the areas
where it comes out strongly is in the area of “stuff.”
I tend to be a “tosser” and she tends to be
a “keeper.” So my response was immediate and
quick: “Put it in your car and take it to the nearest
Goodwill Center—they’ll find a good home for
it.”
For me, an easy solution. But
for one who is a “keeper,” this solution was
not so easy. And you who are “keepers” know
exactly what I mean by that. And I also knew that this
silk plant was only the tip of a much larger issue for
her—crammed closets and her frustration at not being
able to bring order to the growing chaos. So, being somewhat
of a devotee to such shows as “Neat” and “Clean
Sweep,” I headed to my sister’s house with
much determination to solve the problem.
Many hours later, we looked
at her clothes closet with a sense of great satisfaction.
By this time, her car was completely full of good and
usable clothes (along with the silk plant), now freed
from her overstuffed closet for others to use. The things
that were left, probably 1/3 of what she had started with,
were neatly ordered and on good hangers. All wire hangers
were in a box ready to return to the cleaners.
As she and I talked later,
she mentioned a feeling of lightness and freedom that
she had not experienced for a while. We both saw the parallel
to our spiritual lives—how easy it is to let our
relationship with God become cluttered with thoughts,
attitudes and habits that weigh us down, limiting our
freedom to love God and neighbor. Just as our closets
need periodic times of cleansing and reorganization, so
do our souls. And that is what the time of the church
year known as “Lent” is for. It is a time
set aside each year for a rigorous examination of our
conscience—really a housecleaning for our souls.
Lent, this 40 day period of
fasting and repentance, begins each year on a day called
“Ash Wednesday.” The party known as “Mardi
Gras” is easier understood in translation, “Fat
Tuesday” when traditionally all foods that would
be forbidden during Lent would be consumed in a large
feast.
An Ash Wednesday service, quiet
and solemn, serves as a gateway to enter into an intentional
season for soul cleansing. As we open some of those closets
in our hearts and toss out unnecessary items, we discover
room for the things we really want to keep and develop.
It’s a way to lighten our souls and prepare ourselves
for the mighty joy of Easter when we can celebrate the
fullness of the joy of the resurrected life. For those
who are gardeners, this is much like the time spent preparing
the flower and vegetable beds before planting. When the
plants bloom forth later in the spring, they have a good
foundation of rich soil, good nutrients, and a weed-free
environment.
We will hold a traditional
Service of Ashes at Krum United Methodist Church, 2nd
and W. McCart, on Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 7:00 p.m. Any
and all are welcome to join us as we prepare for a Holy
Lent.
