Last week our oldest daughter asked me what I am giving up for Lent.  This is something I often do, but I completely forgot about it this year.  So, on the spot, I said I’m giving up despair.  After thinking about it a bit more, I’m sticking to it.

Part of the impetus behind the response was likely my recent attendance at the Hope For The Future conference in Goshen, Indiana.  That’s an annual gathering of Mennonite leaders of color.  This year it doubled as a 30-year anniversary celebration of the Damascus Road process (now called Roots of Justice), the antiracism training that continues to shape the church.  As I shared two Sundays ago, the highlight was an evening gala with everyone dressed in their best, excellent food, an honoring of elders, and a multi-cultural dance party.  Most of the participants had been on the receiving end of racism throughout their lives, and this event demonstrated solidarity, resilience, and joy.

I’m giving up despair for Lent not because all is right with the world.  Not to ignore suffering.  I’m giving up despair because I want to believe there is a vitality, a goodness, even a joy, at the heart of reality.  I want my heart aligned with that.  The gala reminded me of this.  So does the warming of the ground this week.  And the CMC Piecemaker Knotting Party and Soup-er Pie Fundraiser.  And the parables we’re encountering each Sunday throughout this season.     

If you haven’t settled on anything to give up for Lent, or even thought about it, it’s not too late.  Why not give up despair?

Joel