Last week, streaks were broken. Wordle befuddled me. Broken streak. It was too dang cold to take a walk outside. Broken streak. I said no to workouts and yes to extra rest. Broken streak.
This week, our insurance company offered an app that adds to my list of potential streaks. If you opt in (I sure did) you can earn a discount on auto insurance. Cool. There are four drivers in my family. Someone says auto insurance discount and I say woohoo! Through my phone, the app tracks distracted driving. My streak is building. And…so is my pride.
Streaks do two things. Like a path, they keep us in line. A streak guides our time and choices, which can be a good thing. I want to drive without distraction and the streak number will encourage me. However, streaks can also encourage idolatry. Like all good things, streaks can be taken past the point of goodness. We become obsessed with them. As though a broken streak makes us a failure, we might rely on our streak to define our self-worth.
This week, I did a bit of starting over. Lent is a fitting season for starting over. You may know the word repentance, a word that gets more attention during Lent. Often, the word is used as instruction, as in, “Repent and stop the not-great thing you’re doing!” Lent begins with a long confession in which we promise to repent. And then we spend 40 days trying not to break the streak.
Despite our best work, streaks break. Life tumbles along and any impressive streak is breakable. Fixing the break means admitting the pride that grew along with the streak.
There is good news in the word repentance. Its literal meaning is “turn around”. To repent is to turn around. But there is more. I will be the first to admit my Biblical Greek is rusty, but I remember the word repentance is most often used in Scripture in a passive form. You do not turn around on your own. Instead, you are turned around. Who does the turning? Who else?
Throughout these 40 days, pride will swell, streaks will be broken, and Jesus will show up there. His streak of mercy is unending.
Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash
Lisa Lewton 