I dunno, it probably snowed. Why? Did you hear something?
I’m sorry, but if I titled this post “A Lenten Reflection,” you wouldn’t have opened it, amirite? Stay with me though. I promise it’ll be worth your time.
So after shoveling the global-warming off the driveway this morning, I closed the garage door and turned to watch if there was any daylight showing through under the gasket. If it did, that would mean I hadn’t gotten all the ice off the apron. So what? Well, since the garage faces north, snow blows through the gap into the garage, you see.
Hey, wait! Come back! I’ve got a point, I promise!
Anyway, all was well with the gasket except about three inches at either end that never seals. And yes, snow blows in at the corners. Why? Because the gasket is too short for the width of the door! What’s worse, is that after 16 years in this house I never really noticed what the problem was ‘til now.
Oh, I’ve grumbled about it aplenty. I’ve even replaced the gasket—at least once—apparently cutting the new one to the same size as its ill-fitting predecessor.
Okay, okay, I’m getting there! Hold your horses…geez.
So apart from my debilitating moronity, it occurred to me how funny it is that I can look at something day in and day out—often several times a day—and never notice what’s really wrong with it, especially when it comes to the out-of-square corners in my soul. I suspect I’m not alone in this regard.
Humans are remarkably adaptable. No more so than when it comes to seeing the beam in our eye. We look around it, over it, under it, as if it wasn’t there, utterly failing to see it for the handicap it is. Nor do we realize how simple it would be to remove it, or how much better we’d see without it.
During Lent, we are called to take a closer-than-usual look at ourselves in preparation for Easter. Not in a condemnatory way, but to really see what needs fixing. We are encouraged to search for those areas in our heart where the snow blows in (I’m going to rack this metaphor till it bleeds!) and bring them to the Heavenly Physician for healing, something He is all too happy to do!
May God give us all eyes to see!
[What can I say? Some people think in the shower, I do my deepest thinking in the garage.]
