I am not the most tidy person around. For those of you who have seen my desk in the “Pastor’s Office” at the church, you know the truth of which I speak. I tend to have lots of “stuff” laying around. None of you reading this have seen it…buuuutttt my home office isn’t any better. In fact, it’s probably a bit worse. You can’t see her right now, but just imagine Nancy, my wife, nodding her head and rolling her eyes!
One piece of my struggle is there’s so much I want to do, it’s easy to simply jump into a new task, book, project, article, etc., without properly putting away the items that I was using for the last project I was working on. (And I might need some of the same “things” for this next project…so why put them away. I’ll just get them out again.) Another part of my disorganization is that as long as things are “filed” in my disorganized way on the floor or on my desktop, I tend to know where things are. It’s when I put things away in an organized manner, such as in a file folder in a file cabinet, that I begin to lose track of where things are and then I can never find it when I need it. We are all complicated and imperfect people…at least I know that I am.
Of course, my intentions are always good. Once I get things cleaned up, which always takes place with the help of Nancy, my intention is to regularly take a few moments to put things away, to organize, and clean up. But then I’m running late, I’m not feeling it, something more urgent comes along, etc., and suddenly I’m back to a big mess. (Heavy sigh!)
I understand so well what the Apostle Paul means when he writes, “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.” (Romans 7:19) Yes, that’s me too sometimes. I believe an important part of our faith journey is recognizing the places where we fall short, or where God is nudging us to grow, and then to take some steps, as small as they may seem, to grow.
This, for me, is why Lent is such an important part of the seasons of the Christian year. Lent is a season of self-examination and reflection. Yes, it’s a time of listening for the messages that God wants us to hear and yes, it’s a time of recognizing our sinfulness and seeking ways to live that reflects the light and love of God more fully. But Lent should also be a time of celebrating and recognizing the places where we have grown in the past year, and where we are walking more closely with God than we have in the past.
You see, Lent is not about suddenly being perfect, whole, or complete (as if that is ever possible). Lent, like the faith journey, is about movement, it’s about steps, it’s about moving in a direction that takes us more into the heart and hope of God, not just for ourselves but for the world and all creation.
So, what is an area I’m seeking movement or growth in for this season of Lent, as well as for the year to come? I’m going to live into a T2 strategy for dealing with the mess in my office – and who knows how that will affect other areas of my life. Each day while in my office, I’m going “Take Two” items and put them away. No, it doesn’t sound like much, but over time it is likely to make a big difference. Lent really isn’t about giving things up, per se. The fasting or “change” of Lent is really about recognizing within ourselves that change is possible and we can do hard or uncomfortable things…if we really want to.
Yes, two weeks of Lent are behind us. There are still four weeks ahead. Plenty of time to take some small steps to move in a new direction, to live into a little bit of change, and to walk and live more closely with God. We can do it…Together!!!
Serving Together,
Pastor Keith