Discussing Nothing
Last Thursday, the Servants Quarters community gathered to discuss 40 Days of Nothing, our walk together through this season of Lent. In undertaking 40 Days of Nothing, we have entered a season of intense, deliberate reflection, self-denial and, hopefully, transformation. We are striving to limit our consumption to the basic necessities, resisting the empty promises of the world that we can find well-being through indulging our endless wants and instead focusing on God’s promise that His grace is sufficient.
The spirit of our discussion and the character of my new friends impressed me greatly. Our discussion topic, revolving as it did around radical self-denial, is not particularly attractive on its face. On the contrary, it seems to possess significant potential to generate feelings of depression and self-pity. In my opinion, though, our time together could be best characterized as joyful. Despite the nature of the material and its serious implications, the room was filled with laughter and joking and a sense of hope. Perhaps some would suggest that it was nervous laughter, but I believe the atmosphere was born of a common sense of peace not unease. These young leaders shared thoughts and stories evidencing not only a commitment to allow God to transform them, but a willingness to share that blessing with others. I believe that was the immediate reason for the hope permeating our time together.
What did we discuss? Here’s a taste:
We shared details of what we are denying ourselves and which disciplines we plan to undertake. Each person’s commitment is unique. I have my own habits and weaknesses. You have yours. Some in our group, for example, are inclined not so much to acquisitiveness as busyness. For them, 40 Days of Nothing will involve not a decrease in consumption but a decrease in activity, a slowing of the pace, leaving stillness in which the soft voice of God may be heard.
We debated whether to share with others what we have undertaken during the season. After all, Jesus taught that we are to care for our appearance when fasting “so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting” (Matthew 6:18). He warned against praying like “the hypocrites [who] love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men” (v.5), and against letting our left hand know what our right hand is doing when giving to the needy (v.3). Does this mean that we ought not share with others concerning our journey through Nothing? Or does it mean only that we ought to check our motives for doing so?
We talked about what types of responses we might expect from others who learn about our radical (by contemporary American standards) commitment. Some of our friends and loved ones have warmly welcomed the idea of trading needless consumption for spiritual transformation, and have decided to join the fun! Praise God. On the other hand, experience and the Scriptures indicate that, no matter how gently or innocently we share our story, some will react with anger and defensiveness. People have called the Compactors “un-American” and “anti-capitalist”; others have called them and the folks behind Buy Nothing Day a threat to the economy and the American way of life. Add to that the reality that we are motivated by a desire to become more like Christ, and we can expect some people to hate us and our testimony without reason (John 15:18-25). My hope and prayer is that we are able faithfully to follow the example of St. Paul, respectfully departing from those who sneer and turning instead to nurture those who are drawn to the truth (Acts 17:32-34).