Spiritual Spring Cleaning

Lent has always been characterized as a season for honing discipleship. Relinquishment has been its trademark. What did you give up for Lent?

Giving up something for Lent leaves me cold. The giving up part gets so dramatized that whatever there is to learn from Lent is eclipsed in the process.

She said publicly that she gave up coffee creamer for Lent. I too prefer my coffee with cream. So I listened to her with unusual attention. She went on to say that by the the tenth day, she began to love black coffee.

Lent has little to do with giving up things. External change is important. However, something within me, internally, really needs to change.

Lent is the time for getting our spiritual house in order. After all, the body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. How about Spiritual Spring Cleaning? In Lent we invite the Holy Spirit to help us clean out the stuff that prevents us from being clean conduits of God's grace. "Search me, O God, know my heart; test me and know my inmost thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" Psalm 139