Joy Unedited

"So is LentUnedited going to become a contest of who has it the worst?"

This question made me imagine a dismal picture of us all joining in on some huge Facebook-based downward spiral where all we hear about is misery and all we feel is pity.

But I don't think that's the direction we're headed. I've known from the beginning that Lent Unedited would be a big experiment and that it would largely depend on how we all participate together. What I've seen so far is people being incredibly brave, honest, funny and real. And I've seen people be wonderfully encouraging and supportive. It's been an awesome start.

So where is the place for joy in LentUnedited? Is it going to be 40 days of pure doom and gloom? Maybe. But maybe not.

I think that sharing true joy is also a place of vulnerability. Sharing our happiness is taking a risk. When we ask someone to really celebrate with us, that's stepping out and sharing good news, and we often worry that sharing joy is the same as bragging. And we wonder if our good news will really be heard and received.

But the difference between joy and bragging, in my opinion, is that our true joys are often born out of our difficulties or imperfections. Or they exist alongside them. When we ask someone to rejoice with us that we landed a new job, or are in remission, or finished a dissertation, we are admitting that at some point along the road to this accomplishment, there was struggle and difficulty. That's a place of vulnerability. That's admitting imperfection.

Celebrating a good day, a peaceful dinnertime, a good grade, a birthday, an anniversary, a finally potty trained child--these are things that are joyful in part because we know the hard work, the lows, and the strain it took to get there.

I'm pretty sure that sharing joy requires as much encouragement as sharing difficulty. I have a feeling we are up to the task. If something wonderful is happening in your life right now, consider sharing it with #lentunedited. I bet all of us will celebrate with you and I bet it will be awesome.