Yard Burning

My husband tells me that his family used to burn their yard every year, but this is a totally new concept to me. I grew up a suburban girl; he grew up in the country. Now, we live in the town limits of a small rural town. Every night this week as I've driven home, I've smelled smoke. One night last week, the smoke was drifting into our home from the yard being burned across the street. People around here burn their yards before spring arrives, as do many in other rural areas.

I'm told that burning your yard is good for the growth. I'm told that, if you burn the old dead grass, the new grass of spring will have more room to thrive. I'm told that it's the same concept as controlled burns in the forest.

It's an interesting concept as I think of Lent. In our spiritual disciplines, we ask the Holy Spirit Fire to burn away the dead areas of our lives, the things that choke our good growth, the sins that keep us from thriving in Christ. Maybe Lent is like a controlled burn.

If so, I wonder what smoke signals my soul is putting out to let me know it's working. Do you smell anything burning in you? If so, maybe it's a good thing, a God thing. What do you think?