Spiritual transformation is about the right time and the right place – not the “what,” but the when and where. We will change our normal living pattern. For the Wilburn, we will eat peasant bread and drink a juice drink from the juicer on Mondays. The kids will complain. But the plan is disruptive. As Rev. Dr. Craig Babb says ‘we need a holy irritant”. Force something to irritate your day. One person plans to write down three things they are grateful for each day. This practice of gratitude is super. It will work if she chooses the right location and time to write and ponder.
Someone else was going to clean out a junk drawer or closet each week. If you do this, I’d lay all the stuff out on a table and then observe and journal the standout items. Answer, “Why was this pen important? Why was this ruler so precious? Did my child use it in kindergarten?” Then we chase down the memory: look at pictures of when our child was in kindergarten, and think about how time flies, what has changed since then… who are we now, who have they become. What tragedies have come and gone; what hope and dreams have come and gone – what are we still waiting for?
This is the desert journey. This is the power of restive prayer – a pondering; a turning our heart toward g-d. This is Lent. Do not let Lent slip out of your fingers. Right now, today, gather your determination and commit to some practice.
