It is interesting what my brain comes up with. I am naturally a reflective person who feeds on connections. This has been very helpful in my profession in education. I am able to reflect on lessons, help students make connections, etc. My brain works a million miles a minute sometimes. On our honeymoon we soon discovered the different processes of our brains as we stood in the train station in Florence, Italy. Within a minute or so I knew exactly what platform our train would be leaving from and which direction we needed to go to get to that platform. Part of this is due to my stress during travel that rushes to make sure I know where I am going and what I am doing so I don't get lost or stranded. The other part is that my brain filters through dozens of small details at a time and finds the ones that are helpful: where people are looking, signs that are helpful, etc. My husband takes in the big picture and is very contemplative. However, I digress.
As I have sat with the different words these first couple of weeks of Lent, I am sometimes intrigued by the images I conjure up, or the lack of images that come to my mind. It took me several days, actually, to come up with what I thought would fit the word 'celebrate,' a fact that stressed me out a bit because 1) why couldn't I come up with something to celebrate? and 2) this word comes up more than once on the list so what will I do the next time it comes around (namely tomorrow)?
As I thought about the word Powers the thought that actually came to mind was of the remote controls that are pictured above. I know, I know, you can tell how out of date my husband and I are when it comes to technology by the old-school remotes that we have (if you didn't already notice the non-flat screen, non-large TV in the background of one of my other pictures). But remote controls have a certain power.
TV and movies and the like have had a lot of power over me. It could almost be said to be an idol of mine. I fill my time and empty hours with TV. It is a way to decompress and disconnect after a long day at work; it is a way to fill the quiet hours at home; it is a way to escape from my own reality. It is not a way to feel accomplished and productive at the end of the day, I can tell you that from multiple experiences the last couple of weeks. This is not an idol I want and I am thankful for the reminder today that I need to work on freeing myself from this idol. I need to be more aware of the world around me, than the fake world created through TV. I need to be present in the moment, and perhaps I should get something accomplished in my home during the day besides showering and feeding my baby (although days when she wants to eat like a Hobbit, that feels like a pretty big accomplishment). I need to make sure that my time, energy and worship is going to the One who made me and saves me. I need to turn my attention back to Christ.
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