I recently had an interesting conversation with two colleagues who, like me, are beginning their retirement. The point for discussion was legacy folders and documents, both the physical sort and the electronic ones. For me, pressing delete on many hundreds of documents and even more emails was easy, but I am stuck with the bottom right-hand side drawer of my desk.
That drawer contains old day books, full of lists all ticked off and notes about things that are long forgotten. I am surprised by the neatness of my own writing even if I cannot now read or make sense of much of what seemed so vital at the time. Then there are articles and other things that were going to be useful.
Everything else in my desk is ordered and has a purpose. Likewise electronic documents; so why is it necessary to have a repository for things that are redundant other than as a sop to sentimentality. Two of us had no desire to go back to documents we had written years ago while the third disagreed and said that he will keep his.
We are beginning Advent and preparing to celebrate afresh the coming into the world of God made flesh. We may say that God is relevant in every changing season but I wonder how many of us have a bottom drawer approach to God, by which I mean we try to apply old responses to new needs and legacy expressions of faith to an ever-evolving life?
There is an old hymn which starts, ‘Forward be our watchword.’ Our nature is such that we burden ourselves with the past so it is hard to face forward.
I will sort out that drawer before Christmas – one year or another!
A Prayer
Renewing and refreshing God help us to see this year for what it is now and to deal with the things of today and tomorrow. Give us the humility to let go of the things we once thought valuable and not be weighed down by old things as new days dawn and we live again the message of Advent hope. Amen.