“God hasn’t invited us into a disorderly, unkempt life but into something holy and beautiful—as beautiful on the inside as the outside.” (1 Thessalonians 4:7 MSG)
I used to have a wonderful vegetable garden--raised beds with neat rows of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, squash, raspberries, and herbs. For the last few summers, I have been too busy to do any gardening. The vegetable beds are a mess. The thought of cleaning them up is so overwhelming that I talk myself out of the task even before I attempt it. Time-consuming, energy-sucking projects scare me. The only way for me to start is to set incremental goals. I will schedule two hours per week to work on the mess. I can’t look too far ahead, because that can be discouraging. I don’t envision neat, weed-free rows of plants loaded with vegetables. I try not to obsess over how many days it would take to finish the project, or how much upkeep a garden requires. Instead, I focus on what is within my power to do--dedicate two hours per week to doing the work.
There are many areas of my life that have become muddled. My Lenten goal this year is to accept God’s invitation to an orderly, wholesome, holy life. These virtues seem too lofty. My natural inclination is to give up before even trying. I can’t envision my life becoming pure and beautiful. However, I can focus on taking one more step, each day, in the right direction. I can dedicate one more hour to contemplation and prayer. I can listen for direction. I can commit to one more act of kindness, encouragement, generosity, forgiveness, empowerment. I can make one more good choice and then, another. I shall concentrate on facing God and taking incremental steps in His direction. This I can do.
No comments:
Post a Comment