Each and every day we are confronted with a variety of choices. Actually, we might face a host of choices. Maybe hundreds if not thousands of choices. It’s no wonder people feel beset by decision-fatigue.
Each day we decide what to wear. Many of us have too many clothes, so there are many choices. One former church member did a stint as a missionary in Africa. The women of the village each had two dresses. So, the missionary limited herself to two dresses. For like a year. But was it confining or liberating?
And then we decide what to eat. Again, so many choices. Not just what is ripe now. But we choose from what is in season the world over. Then it’s on to what to buy. Or what to read. Or what to post on social media. Or what issue to be involved in. Or whether to visit the neighbor dying of cancer, because what will you decide to actually say to the person. We decide what toothpaste to use. And which exercise regime to do today. Or will we take the day off from exercising? And we decide whether to go to the carwash today or later this week. And will you forgive your friend. If so, when? And what color you will paint the bathroom. Which college should you will attend. And if you will dye your hair. What color? And we decide if we will go to church Sunday. And what movie to watch. Or will it be a miniseries? And we decide which ring tone to use on our phone. So many choices!
We recently had to choose a quartzite top for our kitchen island. I saw so many slabs of quartzite, my head was spinning.
In the book Orbital by Samantha Harvey, there is a reflection on the lack of choices when you are with a small group of people in a spaceship orbiting the earth repeatedly in zero gravity conditions: “Earlier that morning Nell had an email from her brother saying he was unwell with the flu, and that struck her, how long it has been since she was ill — she feels in space as though her body is young again and there are no aches or pains, except for the space headaches they all get — even those are rare for her. Something about having the weight taken off you, having no pressure on your joints and no pressure on your mind — no choices. Your days are laid out minute by minute in a schedule. You do someone else’s bidding and you go go bed early and usually exhausted and you get up early and start again and the only decision to be made is what to eat, and that too is limited.” [p. 25]
In the margin I wrote “prison.” But is it confining to have so few choices? When you are engaged in a purposeful pursuit. Doing what you love and have longed for since childhood. Or is it liberating? Maybe all of our choices are actually distracting us from what we really need or want or will find satisfying.
In Lent, there is the traditional practice of giving something up. Maybe that is more than symbolic sacrifice. Maybe it is really liberating.
Prayer: May we choose what is loving and life-giving for us, the human community and the planet. Amen.
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Devotion prepared by Rev. Kim P. Wells, pastor of Lakewood United Church of Christ in St. Petersburg, FL
The devotions this Lenten season will be based on the novel Orbital by Samantha Harvey. Orbital won the Booker Prize in 2024. It is a beautifully written story about the experience of a group of people orbiting the Earth in a spaceship. They see 16 sunrises and sunsets in a 24 hour period. The book is a reflection on the experience of living together and appreciating planet Earth in a new way.
Lakewood United Church of Christ 