Past Places
There’s a historical park not far from where we live called Fort Christmas. The site includes a full-scale replica of the military fort that was established there in the 1830s. It also features a number of restored houses and farm areas that showcase rural Florida life in the decades between the1870s and 1930s. It was a fun little excursion for our family, and I especially enjoyed exploring the houses and imagining what life was like more than a century ago.
Our daughter, on the other hand, was not so keen on entering the old structures. Perhaps it was because they were dim inside. Maybe it was the fact that they were unfamiliar to her. They certainly don’t have the look of the buildings that she’s used to entering. But in any case, it made me think that pushing into the past can be an unnerving thing – especially when it’s our own past.
As we’ve discovered the last few weeks, Lent is about walking with Jesus in the desert. That experience is intended to lead to repentance, which draws us into a closer relationship with the Lord. But repentance always means self-reflection because in order to repent, we need to recognize those areas in our lives that stifle fellowship with God. And during this kind of contemplation, the Lord will often lead us into our own past.
He does so because he might want to address the dim places or patterns of unconfessed sin in our hearts. Or perhaps it’s the old clutter of unforgiveness toward someone who hurt us. Maybe it’s a wound or sorrow in our souls for which we need healing.
Whatever it might be, Jesus wants to take us there so that he can do what only he can do – bring restoration.
The truth is that it might be scary to enter those places. But friends, we can trust that the Lord will be with us as we invite him in to renovate our hearts.
Would you take some time to do that this week? Maybe start with a prayer like the one below. Then take a few minutes to wait quietly in God's presence. He’s eager to meet you where you are.
O blessed Father, you are the one who leads us to true repentance. Look with compassion on me and reveal the areas in my life that I need to turn over to you. May you surface whatever I’ve experienced in the past that’s stifling my relationship with you in the present. If needed, guide me to a brother or sister in Christ who can walk with me through this process. And in your great mercy, soften my heart that I may turn to you and receive whatever I need to foster unobstructed fellowship with you – whether it be forgiveness, reconciliation or inner healing. All this we pray through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Fr. Darin+