How do you get through a roomful of laundry? One pile at a time, says Bridget Purdome. The same goes for the upgrading process during Lent: Just take it a day at a time.
Guest blog post by Bridget Purdome
I love Annemarie Scobey’s metaphor of “Lent as a time for all of us to upgrade to a stronger version of ourselves,” but clicking on “Upgrade now” seems so overwhelming.
I had the same tense feeling as I surveyed my family room. There were mounds of laundry everywhere–-on the chairs, on the couch, and all over the floor! How could I possibly get the contents of this room under control? I had absolutely no idea where to begin!
I only had thirty minutes before I had to leave for a class in the city. Typically, I’d whittle away this time on Facebook, but I decided to try something different. I’d dive in and see how much I could accomplish.
I began by sorting through all of my own stuff. I pulled out the jeans and sweatshirts and put them in stacks. I made piles of socks, underwear, and pajamas, and dumped them into baskets.
Next, I tackled the clothes for the rest of my family. Soon, I had stacks of folded laundry all over the chairs and couch. At least it was no longer on the floor. Then…time up! I had to leave for the city.
I didn’t get the job finished, but I made some progress. I felt pretty good about the dent I had made in the laundry.
Isn’t this what Lent is about? Making a dent in our untidy hearts? My heart is cluttered with old hurts, lingering resentments, and lots of negative stuff that gets in the way of my relationship with God. How can I possibly get the contents of my heart under control? I have absolutely no idea where to begin!
How am I going to upgrade myself this Lent? I’m going to unplug a bit–-fast from Facebook–-and spend this time with God. During my prayer time, I’ll ask God to help me sort through my stuff, unclutter my heart, and heal me.
This Lent, I’m going to try something different. I’m going to dive in and see how much God and I can accomplish together. If we can make a dent in my stuff, I’ll be free to more lovingly reach out and help others with their stuff.
Bridget Purdome holds a M.A. in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University Chicago and is currently working on her M.Div. Her daily reflections can be found at www.TheSpiritToday.com.
For more on Lent, visit uscatholic.org/lent. Submit a guest blog post about Lent to onlineeditor@uscatholic.org.
Guest blog posts express the views of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of U.S. Catholic, its editors, or the Claretians.
