DAY 14- JOJO CAMPBELL

Day 16 – March 20, 2025

Growing up Baptist, I never participated in Lent. When I later joined the Methodist Church as an adult, I learned it was a sign of sacrifice representing Jesus’ 40 days of fasting in the desert. I understood I needed to give up something I enjoyed, so I would usually give up chocolate or sweets. But as much as I loved those things, it didn’t bring me closer to God. I didn’t find myself praying, “Lord, please help me get through this day without chocolate or a cupcake.” I didn’t feel like enough.  

For a few years, I gave up nothing.  Then several years ago when the Lenten season approached, I asked God to show me what I should give up- something that would truly honor Him and draw me closer. Nothing came to mind. At the time, I was struggling with deep worry and anxiety, something I had dealt with since childhood. That’s when it occurred to me: maybe it wasn’t something I enjoyed that I needed to give up, but something that was causing me stress and keeping me from God. Was I really praying all the time, or was I just worrying on repeat?  

I didn’t tell anyone I had decided to give up worry for Lent-I wasn’t sure I could do it. It was a crutch, and I wasn’t ready to let it go. But I started praying differently, asking God not just to hear my concerns, but to take them. I imagined physically packing up my worries in a box and handing it to Him—only to keep trying to take it back, telling Him how I needed each thing to be handled. I pictured the box with tape around the corners, and the lid falling apart from all my tugging.  

I’d love to say I surrendered it all that Lent, but I didn’t. Some days I prayed hourly for the strength to let go. However, through the struggle, I became more aware of God’s presence than ever before. That awareness has stayed with me, and each year, I recommit to releasing my worries for Lent. I fail daily—but the effort keeps me drawing closer to God, reminding me that while I may struggle to let go, He has never failed me. Although there are other verses regarding anxiety and worry, this is my go-to  –  Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go”. 

– JoJo Campbell

Prayer: Dearest God, how free would we be to live in faith if we just dropped the box of whatever it is in life that is holding us back? We are so conditioned to hold fast, thinking we can control things if we just trudge through, continuing to do whatever it is that we are doing.  And all the while, you beg us to hand it over to you! Thank you for seasons like Lent that push us out of of comfort zones. Help our “giving up” become “letting go” in the freedom that only you can provide. Amen.