Clay in the Hands

Yesterday marked the beginning of Lent. As I was out in the community yesterday, I noticed those who had taken the ash as a symbol of grief. Seeing those who chose to participate in the discipline of Ash Wednesday has had me thinking.

For those of us outside the tradition that practices this discipline, I think we would do well to think about its meaning. When we think of Lent, we typically think of giving something up. But the season has such a deeper significance – beginning with Ash Wednesday. By receiving the ash, the participant acknowledges the sin in his or her life. The act should be based on reflection of all the ways we have strayed from God’s path as well as reflection on our desperate need for God to be God in our lives.

We have a tendency to try and replace God in our lives with distractions. We place importance on things – often good things – that can dilute our commitment to follow God with our whole heart. Our hearts have a limited capacity. When we fill our hearts with desires for things other than God then our desire for God decreases – it is similar to the law of displacement in physics. When a container is at capacity and something else is introduced, something has to give. If I fill a five-gallon bucket with water and then drop a bowing ball in I am going to make a mess.

Lent is a season in which we reflect on the mess we have made with our lives by allowing things other than our desire for God to take up space in our hearts. And we ask forgiveness and repent. It is a season when we focus on our desperate need for God and we seek him more intently. It is a season when our commitment is renewed to live our lives for God daily.

As we make our way through the next forty days – leading up to Resurrection Day – take some time to reflect. There is only so much room in your life. Make sure God is the biggest part of it.