Winter can be tough when you have very little ones. Getting out is quite a feat when the world beyond your sliding glass doors looks like this.
And the view inside is even more hairy.
These winter months tend to breed more than just viruses. Grumpiness. Short fuses. Worry. Anxiety. Envy. Discontent. All of them toxic mental attitudes.
Yes, it is time for a detox.
Several friends of mine recently have gone through detox regimens. Whether to be healthier, lose weight, or get a handle on ailments like headaches, they have embarked on programs to get rid of bad stuff, and replace it with good. How is that for a technical explanation? But that is the basic formula–out with the bad, in with the good.
I have decided that Lent is the perfect time for me to do a detox…of my mind.
No ten step programs here, though, or complicated regimens. I know that I don’t have the time, money, or extra energy for anything elaborate. But I do have time–I will make time–to tackle the mental laundry.
I remember my mom, an expert resale shopper, coming home with armloads of sheets and blankets bearing that unmistakable musty odor. They had been packed away in some dark corner of the attic or closet for a long time. But they were quality linens, worth saving. To get rid of the must, she would hang them outside and let the strong summer sunlight do its work. Sunlight purifies.
I, too, have a simple, and very effective purifier. It is stronger than citrus oils. Stronger than sunlight. It’s the most powerful purifying force in the world. All I need to do is pull the musty sheets from their hiding places, hang them out, and let the bright, beautiful light of the Word do its cleansing work.
The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. Psalm 29:4
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact expression of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word. Hebrews 1:3
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2
And how can I, a busy, winter-weary momma, have my mind renewed? By getting into the Word this Lent, and relying on its power.
