Scriptures: Psalm 19:12 (NIV) – “But who can discern their own errors?  Forgive my hidden faults.”

Isaiah 43: 18-19a (NIV) – “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.  See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”  

Lamentations 3:22-23 (NIV) – “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

Message: Last week, we replaced the fridge.  It was very old, from the 1980s, and it had served a long and productive life.  Still, when we moved it, we saw an astonishing amount of gunk and junk, both on the appliance and on the floor.  We discovered the long-forgotten spills concealed by the counters, and random bits and baubles dropped and abandoned.  We promptly swept away the debris and mopped clean the floor, discarding things from the past we didn’t even know were missing.

So too, the Father shakes out the crust and crud in my life when He shifts things around.  Attitudes, inappropriate thinking and habits are revealed in me, many that I didn’t even realize were lurking under the surface.  Remnants of my past settle into my thoughts and routines which I don’t recognize, or remember how they got there in the first place.

As I go into the contemplative season of Lent, I enter with an entreaty that the Lord reveals the things in my life which are not pleasing to Him.  This sacred time serves as an opportunity for some “spring cleaning” of my soul.  While having my hidden faults revealed grieves me deeply, I lean into the Father’s faithfulness and love.  I choose to let go of my former ways, and not to dwell in distress over my past.  I welcome the revelation of how good He is to forgive what has passed, so that He can create newness in me.

Prayer:  Holy Father, I thank You for Your faithfulness and love.  Help me to discern my hidden sins, and forgive me for them.  Cleanse me of old failures, attitudes and habits, and create in me a new heart that seeks only to delight You.  Open my eyes to perceive the new things You are working in my life.  Amen.