Yesterday, driving back from visiting folks in the hospital in Lubbock, I noticed my windshield was a bit dirty. Now normally, this would not even catch my attention. In fact, one of the things that drives my wife crazy is to get in my car and have to look through the windshield. I am notorious for not ever cleaning my windshield. Now if you live in this area, you know this time of year we begin to catch all kinds of bugs with our windshields out on the highway. So it is not hard to understand why a windshield might need to be cleaned from time to time.
While the truth may lie more on the side of laziness, I choose to believe that the reason I don’t ever clean my windshield is because I have trained myself to see the bigger picture and not be distracted by the dots on my windshield.
I think there is a life-lesson here. The reality is, life is always going to be full of distraction. We may set out to be disciplined and focus time with the Father but distractions pop up constantly. Technology has not helped in this regard – we are never really disconnected. Our lifestyle is designed for distraction. So if we are going to grow through this journey toward becoming the image of Christ, we have got to learn to see the bigger picture and not become distracted by the little things that try to pull our attention away from what matters.
It takes commitment and discipline to create space in our lives for the Spirit to work. It also takes a willingness to do our best to clear distractions and to create that space.
Today we begin the season of Lent. For the next 40 days leading up to Easter, we are called to slow down and reduce distractions. We are called to create space in our busy lives for the Spirit of God to work. We are drawn to turn back to the God who loved us while we were still sinners – enough to sacrifice Jesus for us.
I challenged our church family this past Sunday to make a couple of practices a part of their Lenten observance this year. The idea behind these practices is to help us reduce distraction, create space and turn back to God. The first thing I have challenged them to do is to fast and pray – specifically on Tuesdays through the Lenten season. We are going to have a time of prayer through the lunch hour here at the church each Tuesday and allow people to come and go in a reflective and contemplative setting.
The other discipline I have challenged our family to do is read through the Gospels over the next 40 days. We have established a reading plan to help folks stay on track.
I challenge you to join us. Set aside time – Tuesdays are when we will be doing it – to pray and fast. Focus on God’s love for you – Jesus’ sacrifice of himself for you. And spend time in God’s word. If you would like to follow along with the reading plan we have set up for our family, the best way to get your hands on it is to download our app. It’s totally free and available for your iPhone or Android or even your tablet. Just go to the respective app store and search FBC Littlefield. Once you have installed the app, you will notice several buttons at the bottom of the screen – swipe the page to the left and it will show more buttons (oh wow, look, you can listen to sermons and even see the Pastor’s blog – cool). The button on the far right is titled 40 Days. Click on that button and it will take you to the reading plan. Simply click on the specific day and it will then take you to the text for the day in the YouVersion Bible app – – pretty simple.
However you choose to do it – I challenge you to spend time this Lenten season seeking God. Spend time in prayer and spend time in God’s word. By removing distractions and creating space, God can use your efforts to change your life.
Now I guess I need to go wash my windshield.
Be blessed this day!
Clay in the Hands 