He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
~Psalm 18: 19 (NIV)
I am in the process of downsizing and emptying my 4-bedroom house that I have lived in for the past 20 years. I decided to think of the process of sorting and letting go of stuff as a spiritual practice. The hardest items to let go are those things that have sentimental value, like family heirlooms or gifts given to me. My Lenten practice is to donate a carload of stuff each week, pass the heirlooms on to the next generation, and throw away that which has no value. There is something very freeing and renewing about the process. It is not only creating a more spacious place in my house, but also in my heart. Attachments and clutter distract me from those things that are most important.
Mary Oliver describes the outcome of the emptying process well in her poem below. She says there is "more room in your heart for love, for the trees! For the birds who own nothing--the reason they can fly." Lent is an opportunity to reorder our loves, to seek that which truly satisfies our deepest longings found only in the Divine.
Storage
When I moved from one house to another
there were many things I had no room
for. What does one do? I rented a storage
space. And filled it. Years passed.
Occasionally I went there and looked in,
but nothing happened, not a single
twinge of the heart.
As I grew older the things I cared
about grew fewer, but were more
important. So one day I undid the lock
and called the trash man. He took
everything.
I felt like the little donkey when
his burden is finally lifted. Things!
Burn them, burn them! Make a beautiful
fire! More room in your heart for love,
for the trees! For the birds who own
nothing--the reason they can fly.
~Mary Oliver
Song: Still, Still, With Thee by Altar of Praise Men's Chorale, Video by SE Samonte
Reflection
How could you create a more spacious place in your heart for God and others this Lenten season?
In what ways during this Lenten season are you being renewed?
How might you reorder your loves to seek that which truly satisfies your deepest longings found only in the Divine.
Resources
Oliver, M. (2017). "Storage". Devotions. New York: Penguin Random House L.L.C.
Sine, C. February 29, 2024. "Do you want to be well?" GodSpace.
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