“Now then”,said Joshua, “Throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God out Israel” (Josh. 24:23).

For a long time I believed that Joshua was asking too much of his people to adopt tunnel vision in relation to their God and turn away from all the “souvenirs” they had collected over the years from Egypt to their entering the Promised Land.. Those objects undoubtedly brought comfort and familiarity to a homeless people for forty years.

Then I read, “He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. The Lord God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love Him with all your hear and all your soul and live.”(Deut.30:5)

It seemed to me that in light of this promise, that giving up “other gods” was like giving up a pasifier in the process of. Growing up. So many things that we cling to tur out to be “other Gods”: relationships, entertainment, games; it’s Impossible to list all the “other gods” in our lives.

The amazing thing about Joshua’s order to “throw away” is that God has prepared the way, and turned the command into a promise.

During Lent we can throw away those things that blurr our vision of the Lord who promises to “circumcise our hearts”, enabling us to love Him.

Even the smallest movement in our spirits toward the God of the Old and New Testaments is noticed and welcomed by God: “ And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‘You are not far from the Kingdom of God’”. The young man’s “wisdom” lay simply in agreeing with Jesus that the most important command is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” ( Mark 12:34).

When there is the smallest movement toward yielding to such a command, we, too, “are close to the Kingdom of God.” Every day in Lent we get closer to Easter Sunday when we celebrate the fulfillment of all these promises. We are not far away.

Love in Him,

Prue