Lent 2026 · Day 17: Pushing The Easy Button - Not Today Satan!

Some lessons apparently need to be repeated over and over again because people either refuse to learn them or keep pretending they didn’t hear them the first time. You know the saying that doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result is the definition of insanity? I’m starting to believe that might actually be the unofficial motto of my job at Circle K.

At the gas station on 4th St SE, we currently only have 87 and 91 gas available. One of the underground tanks is broken. Fixing it would require digging up a huge section of the station, which means it’s not a quick and easy fix. So for the time being, that particular button on the pump simply does not work.

There are signs everywhere explaining this.

Stickers on the pump.

Labels on the button.

Big bold words that say OUT OF ORDER.

And yet people still press it.

Every single day.

Then they come inside and tell us the pump is broken. "Yes, sir/ma'am that has been broken for six months." For a long time, I would politely explain the situation. “That button doesn’t work right now. Just hit the other one.” Most people would nod and go back outside. Some people would insist the machine must be malfunctioning. Occasionally, someone would suggest we should “get that fixed,” as if we had not already noticed the giant underground fuel tank problem.

Recently, I decided to try something different. Now I simply say, “You hit the wrong button. I reset it. Go back out and hit the correct one. The one I told you to hit the first time.” Then they slowly walk away, looking like a child who just got caught doing something they absolutely knew they weren’t supposed to do.

And honestly, a large part of my job is trying to understand how some grown adults have survived this long.

But the more I think about it, the more I realize this isn’t just a gas station problem.

This is a human problem.

The instructions are clear.

The signs are visible.

The outcome is predictable.

And we still push the wrong button.

Then when nothing works, we look for someone else to blame.

The traditional scripture reading at the beginning of Lent comes from Matthew 4:1–11, the story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. After forty days of fasting and isolation, when He is physically exhausted and vulnerable, the devil dude shows up with what honestly sounds like a pretty reasonable offer.

He tells Jesus to turn stones into bread and prove His power.

Then He challenges Him to throw Himself from the temple so God will rescue Him in dramatic fashion.

Finally, He offers Him political power over the entire world.

Each temptation is essentially the same offer wrapped in different packaging: take the shortcut. Prove yourself. Take control. Accept power without sacrifice. In other words, press the easy button.

And if we’re being honest, most people would probably take that deal.

You’re wandering around in the wilderness, hungry and exhausted, trying to prove your faith and resilience, and some devil-looking guy shows up and says, “Hey Jesus, bro, if you just do these things your life will be a lot easier.”

Most people would say, “Oh hell yes. Where do I sign up?”

Because who doesn’t want an easier life?

Wandering around in the wilderness trying to prove something about faith and purpose sounds… exhausting. At some point you’d start asking yourself, Wait, why am I doing this again?

But Jesus refuses every single time.

Not because the temptation isn’t real. Hunger is real. Doubt is real. The desire for security and power is very real. But He recognizes something deeper about the offer being made to Him. Each temptation requires Him to compromise the very thing He came to do. The easy path would lead to the wrong outcome. So He doesn’t press the button. And when I really think about that story, I can’t help but see pieces of my own life in it.

Sometimes it feels like all I’ve ever done is wander around in the wilderness, fighting for justice, equity, acceptance, and basic human dignity.

And the whole time people keep asking me the same question.

“Why are you doing this, Vangie? You’re making your life harder than it needs to be. You could do something easier. Make more money. Stop worrying so much about other people.”

In other words, they’re telling me to press the easy button.

But something deep inside me has never allowed that.

Because that’s not who I am.

And it’s not what I’m here to do.

The hard truth is that sometimes the road has been uphill both ways. But the reason people choose the harder path isn’t because they enjoy suffering. It’s because they believe that if they keep pushing forward, the road might become a little smoother for the people who come after them.

So young LGBTQ+ people don’t have to hide who they are.

So they don’t grow up feeling ashamed, unseen, or alone the way many of us did.

In a lot of cultures, especially BIPOC cultures, there’s an understanding that when someone makes it through struggle, they reach back and help the next generation climb out, too.

My ancestors did that. They struggled so their children could have something better.

And when I think about Jesus in the wilderness, refusing the easy path that would have made His life simpler, it feels like the same principle. He wanted his people to have an easier life.

Sometimes the reason someone chooses the harder road is because they believe it might lead to freedom for someone else.

And if you ask the question:

If not me, then who?

If not now, then when?

Well… that sounds a lot like the wilderness too.

Lenten Reflection

Matthew 4:1–11 | Resisting Oppression in the Wilderness

The traditional Lenten reading from Matthew 4:1–11 tells the story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. After forty days of fasting, isolation, and vulnerability, the devil appears and begins testing Him.

But these temptations aren’t just about hunger or power. They’re about manipulation.

Each one tries to push Jesus to prove something about Himself, to compromise His mission, or to trade truth for power.

The first temptation is the demand to prove His worth.

“If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

That line should sound familiar to a lot of marginalized people. Trans and queer people are constantly asked to justify their existence, to prove that they are “respectable enough,” “palatable enough,” or “good enough” to deserve basic dignity. Jesus refuses that game. He does not perform His identity for the approval of others.

The second temptation is about conditional acceptance.

“Throw yourself down,” the devil says, suggesting that God will rescue Him if He proves His faith dramatically enough.

This is the same logic many LGBTQ+ people hear from religious institutions: we will accept you, but only if you suppress who you are. Only if you conform to our expectations. Jesus rejects that idea entirely. Faith is not about proving yourself to systems that demand your erasure.

The final temptation is about power.

“All this I will give you,” the devil says, “if you bow down and worship me.”

This is the oldest temptation there is: trade truth for comfort. Accept power if it means compromising your values. Politicians and religious leaders still use this tactic today, dividing marginalized communities and offering security to some if they abandon others.

But Jesus refuses again.

Justice that requires someone else’s oppression is not justice.

Liberation that leaves others behind is not liberation.

The wilderness story reminds us that resisting these temptations is part of the spiritual journey.

For LGBTQ+ people, that resistance can look like refusing to justify our humanity, standing firm in our identities, and continuing to advocate for those who are still being pushed to the margins.

For allies, it means refusing apathy. Speaking up when harmful theology is used as a weapon. Making sure our communities are places where dignity and belonging are real, not conditional.

Lent is not just about giving something up for forty days. It is about transformation.

It is about choosing truth when compromise would be easier.

It is about rejecting the systems that demand our silence.

The story of the wilderness is not just an ancient text. It is a reminder that every generation must decide whether it will take the easy path or stand firm in the pursuit of justice.

Jesus came out of the wilderness stronger.

So will we.

This Lent, let us choose resistance, renewal, and justice.

As above. So below. Amen.

Take care of yourselves. Take care of each other. 💛

#lentreflections2026 #40days40nights #justiceandliberation #thewilderness #nottodaysatan