“May my hope for newness never mean breathing life into things that should pass.”
While Lent is traditionally about giving up a luxury or even a necessity for 40 days, this quote prompts me to think about what I should be giving up that I shouldn’t be carrying forward. Many obvious things spring to mind initially: guilt, fear, worry. But if I dig a bit deeper I find there are also things that are less obvious that need to be given up. This isn’t to say that if something is hard or difficult that we should just give up. No, this quote asks us to focus on what is worth our energies.
I enjoy playing Minecraft with my kid and my friend and we go on many adventures in that virtual world. One of the hardest things to learn and relearn in Minecraft (at least for me!) is when to accept that you lose your stuff. Oh sure, you can play the game so that you get to keep your inventory (stuff) when you die in the game, but I find that the game is more interesting when you have the potential to lose all your valuable items. But sometimes I find it hard to accept that loss and will travel across vast distances to retrieve a stone pickaxe (definitely not valuable) and dirt (even less valuable, unless you are playing skyblock). Should I be so attached to things that are worthless? No. But that is how I am. I get attached to things that are mine and imagine them to be more valuable than they are instead of focusing on the things that are of value.
Loss in the game is definitely mitigated by having friends around. They ask “Do you need help?” and even when you accept that the stuff is gone they share in the sorrow of loss. Other times they are able to jump in and get the items, even when it is a harrowing task, and celebrate the return of the items.
From this, I might be better at being a human in the real world. When does it make sense to let go of a comment or an idea for the sake of efficiency or harmony at work and when does it make sense to rally everyone around an important goal? When does it make sense to do something because you should do that thing and when does it make sense to admit that you should not do that thing for your own wellbeing?
Sometimes you need to let the dirt go and sometimes you need help getting it back.
As we near the end of Lent and enter into the gift of Jesus’ sacrifice, I ask you to focus on what God found so valuable that he was willing to give up himself for: people.
Let us see each other in a renewed light of value. May we see each other as the most precious of ancient debris. Let us renew each other and be renewed by each other.
We are the valuable stuff that God came back for.
Jennifer Helbley is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at La Sierra University, an outdoor enthusiast, and a gamer.
These reflections stand alone, but if you want to enjoy the prayers from May It Be So that they’re based on, please click here to request a copy of the book.