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“Fear is more infectious than faith”

Lent invites us to think deeply about how we belong. This time isn't just for spiritual reflection; it's about understanding our human need for connection and the difference between invitation and coercion.

At the core of our search for belonging is a fear that we will lose who we are if we have to give up too much of ourselves in order to belong. Fear can cause us to act out.

Artists live in this world. Their work and worth are constantly questioned, making every critique a reflection on their life's choices. This isn't just about their roles in whatever organization or community or context; it's about how they see the world and how they're seen by it.

Sometimes it is useful to remember that home — our place or places of belonging — is a choice we make. Home is where we decide to show up — and for whom. Home is a dance that requires giving up parts of ourselves and reclaiming others.

When I was in graduate school, some family members came to visit the town I was living in. As we drove through a part of town with peeled paint and crooked shutters, one of them asked, “Is this where the Blacks live?” I remember my face getting really warm and probably very red. I said no. It was the truth. That moment was probably the moment when I decided I needed to think of home differently. Were the values I held no longer aligned with a group I’d then spent a lifetime belonging to. Since then, I’ve had to make new homes — again and again and again — as I change, define and redefine values, and love differently than I once did. This is okay. The changes are all worth mourning. That’s a bit what Lent is about: space to grieve in the changing of the seasons.

Our homes can change; we have a choice in defining them; who we allow ourselves to belong to is a deeper question. Live with this question for a while. Sit with it. Start thinking about blueprints.