The sandbox

When my children were little, the sandbox was one of their favorite places to explore when visiting the park. I don’t really know why it had such an allure. They could sit there for quite some time, focused on how the toy in hand interacted with the sand. While they were in the sandbox, the rest of the park seemed irrelevant, although much was happening around them. The sandbox was captivating and entertaining for sure. It offered a place to explore and it certainly provided some messiness. And after time spent in the sandbox, there were telltale signs of sand in the most interesting places.

Lent began Wednesday, but I am not sure that I have fully entered into the desert. I believe that is a choice, to enter in. Lent sort of snuck up on me. And although I attended Ash Wednesday mass and received ashes, I did not contemplate it again the rest of the day. Truth be known, I completely forget. If I were to characterize myself as a child at the playground, I would be the one standing outside the sandbox, hesitating, not sure about stepping in, not sure about sitting in the sand.

There are all sorts of toys to be used in the sandbox. Each one has a different function. The shovel can dig and excavate. The sifter separates and retains the coarse parts of the sand and the rake clears and smoothes. Children are captivated by the way the sand and the tools work together. As I stand outside of the sandbox, I wonder what the Lord wants to dig, sift and smooth in me during these 40 days. What beautiful work does He have in store for me that I am kind of, truth be told, delaying. Maybe I don’t want to get messy in the sand or maybe I really just want to play elsewhere in the park. But, He has extended an invitation to enter in. As my dear friend and sister in Christ always says about His invitations, “I wouldn’t want to miss what the Lord’s going to do!”

It’s pretty easy to go about distracted by the other elements of the playground, at least it can be for me. Yet, this really is a time to sit in the sand. It will take some serious focus. My prayer as I step into the sandbox: Lord, sitting in the sand is time well spent with you. I want to be like a little child who sits captivated by you. I will step into the sandbox with toys in hand so you can dig, sift and prepare in me a place more fully suited for You. And at the end of the 40 days, I hope that there are telltale signs that I have spent time in the sand.