I find myself in the very beginning of the season of Lent and I'm at a bit of a loss because I didn't get to experience the imposition of ashes and hear those words, "Ashes to ashes dust to dust; repent and believe the gospel." I also missed the solemn message always preached at Ash Wednesday services reminding me that I am human and that God did something pretty amazing through the life, death and resurrection of his Son, but the message doesn't end there. It ends only after being reminded that in order to fully experience resurrection joy on Easter morning, I might want to spend the next several weeks doing some spring cleaning, of sorts, within my soul.
I've been thinking about this and about how this Lenten season didn't get off on the right foot for me, especially as I've been going about the daily activities that make up my life and it struck me while I was darning (you know, mending by hand certain articles of clothing) that Lent is sort of like darning. Just as I was closing up tiny holes with a needle and thread so that these beloved articles of clothing would be like new and could still be enjoyed, so God closes up the holes in my heart, in my soul (those holes being anything that separates me from God) so that I might be like new and can more fully enjoy my relationship with God. But there's a catch! I have to be intentional and seek the darning, the mending. I have make my holes available to God for him to be able to darn them.
I'm grateful that God, in his mercy, found a way for me to hear an Ash Wednesday message even if he had to use a simple chore like darning to do so! I think I'll let God do some darning! What about you?
i enjoyed reading this!
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