Put down, pick up: Lenten journey

Wednesday marks the open of the Lenten season, and we are familiar with the idea of "giving up something for Lent." I would encourage you to consider with me the purpose of giving up something. At the risk of offending popular culture, "giving it up for Lent" is not to help break a bad habit, to jump start a diet, or to save money. And though there may be some aspect of self-denial involved in the practice, I don't believe Lent is meant to be a body- or spirit-punishing discipline. Stay with me here, if you will. I believe that the purpose of Lent is to open our hands. When we hold onto our lives, our things, our status, our comforts, our time tightly, to keep them close (and to keep them to ourselves), our hands are clenched around them; the only way to hold on is to grab and to grasp, and to hang on for dear life. Only, so often it turns out that the life we are holding on to is anything but dear; it is plain, and dreary, and common. In order to make room in our hands for some truly worthy thing, something of value, we must open our fists and risk letting something go. Just let it go. And look at your open hands. And wait, with expectation. Blessings in this wilderness season...