t shirtsI have some old t-shirts in a box under my bed. Several of those shirts are for running 10K races back in the 80s. Some I bought at memorable concerts. Others declare my membership with some group from years gone by. All are waaaay too small now.

What I once wore with pride and pleasure would now be an embarrassment if I wore it in public. Each represents an important part of who I was or of something I enjoyed or valued. There was nothing wrong with getting and wearing the t-shirts at the time. There would be a great deal wrong with continuing to wear them.

Cognitive and spiritual distortions are like that those t-shirts. The beliefs and realities that served me well at one time, but no longer fit, need to taken out and examined. I think Lent is about pulling out our old spiritual t-shirts to see what fits no longer.

Because they were important to me or served me well once doesn’t mean I should continue to wear them. The same is true of those beliefs and assumptions that served me well at an earlier time in my life.

Like those t-shirts, there are many assumptions about my faith, about life lived by spiritual principles that I need to examine. That’s what Lent is for.