Exit Strategy
Every Exit needs a Strategy
Real beginning requires a plan for change
Lent is the exit strategy for the plaque build up in the heart
It creates the by-pass for the things that block right action
It gives us a chance to let the heart do it’s work
But it requires our cooperation
Exit Strategy #1 — Let it Go
Lent can be a metaphor. Sitting in the middle of the metaphor can help the external to trigger the change of the internal.
What chaos around you disturbs you the most– your desk — the closet — the trunk of the car — the garage — the unwritten thank you notes — the basement (for some of us they all qualify)…but pick just one
Make that your Lenten focus.
Lent is not to eradicate all problems in your life — it is to clear the blockage so the heart can function with freedom and God can be heard above the clamour.
Make your choice and write it down.
Every day during Lent (there are 43 left) eliminate one thing from your choice. Get two bags — one for trash and one to be given away. Every day, eliminate one thing from your place of choice — one piece of clothing from the closet — one file that needs to be shredded — one box that needs to go to the trash — the top of the pile that you have been avoiding. Resist the temptation to do the whole thing. Lent is about seeking balance, not eliminating the reality of life. Clear away just some of the blockage
Make a note in your calendar that you have participated in the Exit Strategy of what no longer fits — what was once a gift that is now an obstacle — the layer of resentment that you can finally shed — the book that someone else could read — the clutter that blocks the creativity.
Just one — the Lenten Exit Strategy that chooses not to do it all in one day, but to take one day at a time, one thing at a time and let some things Exit. Beginnings need endings. New choices need to be discovered and cultivated.
Exit Strategy….let it go….
And resist the temptation to fill up the space
Exit. Erase. Eliminate. Evacuate. Empty.