Letting Go of the Dirt: Lenten Walk Day 7

Watch this scene up until 1:20 and then pause.

In the beginning of this scene we see Mary, who was on the ground, head down in what seems like prayer, her hands grabbing fistfuls of dirt, all of the sudden looks up to see her Son, whom is already nailed to the cross and is being raised up by the Roman soldiers. She rises, her eyes glued to Him, and her hands, still holding on to the soil she so desperately grabbed, open up to let go of the earth.

During this Lenten season, we vow to give up things that take us further away from God. Most of us give up food, some give up Facebook, video games, the internet. All in all, what we're giving up is not so much the element, but the dependency we have on it. We depend on that 3 PM snack everyday or we think we'll get cranky. We give up the dependency to check our e-mails fifty times a day otherwise, we may miss something. Our dependency on all these earthly things keep us from looking at what is really going on.

We will miss His glory in our lives if we don't make room for it, if we don't remove the dirt from our hands.

So how do we let go of our dependencies? It's not an overnight occurrence. It's a process and not an easy one. It takes time, strength, courage amongst other wonderful qualities that grow in us when we decide to let go. From time to time, we'll mess up, but the beauty of it all is that God gives many many chances to start anew. He is merciful and full of love but best of all, you can be forgiven if you confess your sins.

Let's be honest, going to confession is not easy. Let's be even more honest in saying that we avoid confession not only because we refuse to feel guilty for what we've done, but so that we can freely continue to sin. Keeping our sins in the dark assures us that no one will see them, notice them.

But God notices everything. Take it or leave, but you all know, somewhere in your heart that this is true.

By confessing your sins to your priest, you are making the first step towards letting go. All that earthly matter in your hands and in your heart, just taking up space, and not allowing better things to enter in. What does gossip do to make you feel better? How is lying freeing? When has dependency ever given you liberty?

You can chose the earthly things and avoid looking at the cross, or you can become vulnerable, open and watch what He's done for you. If it makes you feel guilty, then you know you have some confessing to do. Once you give up the dirt and give in to God, you will be able to look up at that cross and see it for what it really is...the ultimate act of love and freedom.

God bless!