Good Stuff.

God is not found in the soul by adding anything but by subtracting. –Meister Eckhart


Every home has one. The “junk drawer” where everything that has no place, finds a place. Rubber bands and popsicle sticks, shoelaces, chenille sticks and stickers all compete for limited space. The things we use most migrate to the top, while that deck of cards that’s missing the king of spades gets shoved to the back (but not removed, or—gasp!—thrown out). And the drawer overflows to become a closet . . . then an attic . . . and a storage unit.

We seem bent on getting more, even when we have so much. And it’s all just stuff.

As we continue our journey through Lent, Christ turns our hearts away from the stuff of this world, and towards the Good Stuff: our calling as purveyors of Christ’s love and justice; our unwavering identity as Children of the Most High; the never-ending love (with no strings attached) that God has for each one of us.

Take time this week to throw away some of the stuff in your spiritual junk drawer: voices that whisper of your unworthiness; guilt or anger that keeps you from turning to Christ; maybe even a long-cherished ideal that no longer rings true. What’s holding you back from accepting all the Good Stuff Jesus is offering you?


Monday Pick a storage place in your home. From there, fill a bag or box with stuff you no longer need, that another might use. Donate. James 5:1-5

Tuesday While you’re in the mood, fill a second bag with stuff that’s of little use to anyone. Take it to the dumpster. 2 Chronicles 15:7

Wednesday Today, consider doing without something—lunch in a restaurant, a new trinket or gadget—and donate the money not spent to a charity (or church). Isaiah 58:6-9

Thursday Take a slow, open-eyed walk and bask in the beauty of God’s creation. Give thanks. Psalm 27:4

Friday Get out of bed ten minutes early. Sit quietly in the early morning and listen. Consider journaling. Deuteronomy 30:20

Saturday Look at your face in a mirror. Take your time. Seek to behold the Image of God that is within you. You (yes, you) are a beautiful Child of God. Revelation 1:12-18

Sunday On this “little Easter,” give yourself permission to love yourself (and others) just the way you (and they) are. Praise God this morning in worship. Joshua 22:5


In the eyes of the world, there is no payoff for sitting on the porch. A field full of weeds will not earn anyone’s respect. . . . Each year’s harvest must be bigger than the last. That is what the earth and her people are for, right? Wrong god. –Barbara Brown Taylor

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