Most mornings Cathy and I walk together in the countryside or I go on a run. The weather is not always great, but the countryside is beautiful. Here are pictures of Rose Road near our house in the last 10 days.
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When spring comes and the snow melts, if you start looking at the grass beside the road this is what you see.
Soon after moving to our rural town of Tyner I got upset because people use the beautiful countryside as a place to toss their garbage. I wrote a blog on my gratitude for the people who help deal with other people’s “trash”, and not just the litter variety. I also recognized that in my lifetime people have had to deal with my garbage too.
I’ve started my spring cleanup “trash runs” in the countryside, and it hit me how nice the scenery looks until you start seeing the trash. This made me think of the Christian practice of the Daily Examen. The Daily Examen is a popular Lenten spiritual discipline. It is usually done at night as we prayerful examine our hearts and reflect on the events of the day in order to discern God’s presence and his direction for us. Psalm 139:23-24 is often prayed.
I’ve started my spring cleanup “trash runs” in the countryside, and it hit me how nice the scenery looks until you start seeing the trash. This made me think of the Christian practice of the Daily Examen. The Daily Examen is a popular Lenten spiritual discipline. It is usually done at night as we prayerful examine our hearts and reflect on the events of the day in order to discern God’s presence and his direction for us. Psalm 139:23-24 is often prayed.
Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.
In other words, as part of the Examen we ask God to help us look for any trash He might want us to clean up in our lives. We admit our hearts and thoughts aren’t as pretty as they may appear to others, and even to ourselves. We seek to clean things up before the trash starts accumulating. Eventually what is in our hearts will become visible in our attitudes, words, and actions.
One of the most important steps in the Daily Examen is repenting, and with God’s help and grace, getting rid of the "trash". It is seeing any garbage in our lives for what it is and asking God to help haul it away.
One of the most important steps in the Daily Examen is repenting, and with God’s help and grace, getting rid of the "trash". It is seeing any garbage in our lives for what it is and asking God to help haul it away.
I’ve still got more trash to find and get rid of in my life. And there is still more to clean up on Rose Road. I’ve already taken a couple trash runs this year, and I have more planned. It always feels good to dump a load of garbage after a trash run. And cleaning up the trash makes it so much easier to look for the beauty that was always there.
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