Scripture: “Don’t let this throw you. You trust God, don’t you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father’s home. If that weren’t so, would I have told you that I’m on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I’m on my way to get your room ready, I’ll come back and get you so you can live where I live. And you already know the road I’m taking.” John 14:1-3 ( The Message translation)
Growing up in a German household, Spring Break was never a ‘’break” for me. There was no sleeping late, no watching TV or all day Mall shopping. There was Spring Cleaning. Mattress moved outside. All curtains washed or dry-cleaned. All baseboards and window sills scrubbed. All windows cleaned, first with vinegar and water, then polished with newspaper. Closets rotated; carpets cleaned and hardwood floors hand washed, especially into the corners. Oh, how I hated it…..and loved it.
These forty days give us all time to get ourselves Spring Cleaned, too. The ordinary days of Lent are the perfect time for us to clean our “soul closets”. Take a look at those wounds that don’t fit anymore; the grudges that are so last season. Get into the corners, sweep out the anger; rotate bigotry to tolerance; trash the perceived pain done to us by others; and bury our narrow-mindedness forever. Forgive, forget, and move forward. Dust off your knees, seek forgiveness, and be confident that what we truly confess is forgiven. Make room for new beginnings, new out-looks, and new hope. Be ready for a renewed you.
Prayer: Give us the courage to own our past, O God, to face our future, and to read our living into it. Give us the trust to know we’re forgiven and give us the faith to welcome tomorrow. Amen.
Family Lenten Activity
Take a couple of days and clean out your toy closet and book selves. Donate excess items that you have outgrown to local agencies that serve families in the Dallas area.
