The season of Lent is meant to be a time of preparation as we remember the powerful events around the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Typically, this preparation has taken the form of renunciations—of giving up something, fasting, and prayers of repentance asking God’s forgiveness. All of those have value, but preparation need not be limited to disciplines of renunciation. Preparation can also involve disciplines of affirmation.
An affirmation is stating something that gives us joy, peace, and happiness, as well as something that gives us a strong sense of gratitude. This can be done verbally in our conversations with one another (“I really like this about you…”) or less formally when we sincerely thank others for their acts of kindness. This also can be done silently, when we take a moment to picture in our minds those people whom we love and offer an inner word of thanksgiving for the ways they bless and enrich our lives. Affirmations can be spontaneous (“Thank God the sun came out at last!”) or part of our routines of daily prayers (e.g., morning, mealtimes, bedtime). And by addressing God as part of our affirmation, we surround this positive sentiment with a “faith-connection,” giving thanks to Christ for today’s blessings and the ways God gives us the strength to persevere and strive for the best for all people each day.
The columnist Nicholas Kristof recently wrote that amidst all the news about political turmoil and tension in the world, there are actually many things that are positive and worth celebrating. He noted that every day, the number of people around the world living in extreme poverty (defined as earning less than $2 a day) goes down by over 200,000 people. Every day, 325,000 people gain access to electricity and 300,000 gain access to clean drinking water. Fifty years ago, the majority of people globally were illiterate and lived in extreme poverty. Now fewer than 15% are illiterate and extreme poverty is being eradicated.
In the 1950s, the U.S. had legal racial segregation, epidemics of polio, bans on interracial marriage, gay marriage, and birth control. Fortunately, huge strides have been made to bring just standards and positive change in all those areas. In the last century, two-thirds of parents had a child die before age 5; but in recent years, the lives of more than 100 million children have been saved by access to medical care, diarrhea treatment, and vaccinations. The world is seeing remarkable progress in many areas of life. Yes, we still face serious threats in our environmental, social, and political realms. But because of the good news happening around us, we should be emboldened to act in the other realms of concern.
In the end of his letter to the church in Philippi, the apostle Paul wrote these words: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). That is not being “Pollyanna” or superficial. Paul is inviting us to explore a discipline of affirmation. If you follow his advice in Lent, you’ll be able to conclude this season with the biggest affirmation of all—the Easter good news “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!”
—Randy Bush