From
now until the end of April we are in what in the Christian Calendar is
known as Lent. Lent is the season in which we consider giving up
something we are accustomed to in order to focus the lens of our lives
on what truly matters, be it love, belonging, or the coming of new life.
Lent is a preparation for the resurrection, whether it be Jesus, love
or the beating life of this green earth.
Like
all sacrificial seasons (Ramadan for Muslims and Passover for Jews),
Lent also reminds us to take up something more important than ourselves.
This season I have decided to give up complaining and take up
appreciation. Complaining is natural enough; we have an expectation of a
certain outcome and we are disappointed when that outcome fails to come
about. In response to our disappointment we protest to whoever we think
caused that shortcoming; be it an institution, an individual, or the
fates of our many desires.
What
I have learned in this practice these last few weeks is, first of all,
complaining is really a waste of time and good energy. But more
importantly I have learned that I have reason to celebrate what is right
over what is wrong. Dewitt Jones, who has for many years been a lead
photographer for National Geographic, points out that our vision
controls our perception. What we focus on determines our reality. If I
am focused on what I don’t have I will only see more of that I want. But
if I focus on what I do have, well then, the world opens up before me.
One day last week I went out in the predawn morning to let the dogs out.
It was cold and I started to grumble about the cold, until I remembered
my Lenten vow, stopped and looked to the east. And ‘lo, the cold of
that early spring morning made possible the most amazing sunrise I can
ever remember seeing; purples, oranges, and streaks of yellow firing
forward into a new dawn. God, I thought, might be just like this. What
we see is what the world is to us.
Communities are not perfect. In fact, it is their imperfection that
drives a rich diversity. I realize now in this season of emerging new
realities that there will always be a tension between what could be and
what should be. I choose what could be every time. And in so doing I,
hopefully, choose possibility over scarcity, together and in our own
lives. As Dewitt Jones says “celebrating what is right does not deny the
very real pain on this planet and in our lives. But what celebrating
possibilities does do is put our pain into the larger context of what is
beautiful. Change your lens.”
The
light we have doesn’t just shine on us, it shines within us. When we
see the beauty of our world and each other right before our eyes, we
give justice to beauty and the good. There is more than one right answer
to almost any question. Step back from your complaints, disappointments
and fears and look through another lens. And when you do, then you are
ready to be reborn.
Here is the TED talk that Dewitt Jones gave that has been so inspiring for me and so many others.
With Grace and Grit - John
