Junk Drawer – 30″ x 30″ – 212 objects and a drawer – Lent 2005
One of the purposes of the season of Lent is as a time for self-examination. One tradition refers to this as a ‘searching and fearless moral inventory.’ The point of this is not to look for things to beat ourselves up about, but to look inside ourselves and see ourselves the way God sees us; the good, the bad, and the ugly.
When we can see ourselves with God’s eyes, which are eyes of love and compassion, we will realize that we don’t need to keep holding on to some of that junk we find. This is a little like cleaning out the junk drawer in your house; you may find things you had forgotten you had. That broken pair of sunglasses? I could probably get rid of that. That 20-year old resentment against a family member? Maybe I could let go of that, too. Hey, I was wondering where that extra key to the garage was. And I had forgotten all about that intention to volunteer at a local charity!
We can tread the path of self-examination without fear, because we know that no matter what we dig up, God already knows about it, and loves us anyway! God sees through all the junk, and knows what is really valuable in us, and we strive to see ourselves in the same light.