Wilderness

What (not where) is your wilderness? We start Lent with Jesus in the wilderness being tempted to take shortcuts in life and seek an easy way out. Our wilderness is whatever in our life leads us to seek an easy way out. Notice that God's Spirit leads us into the wilderness. God knows that the road to real life goes straight through the wilderness. God's all for wilderness experiences. In fact, they are necessary.

 

Too often, we give up (or take on) things for Lent that, while missed, are really no big deal. A minor inconvenience. Certainly, not wilderness stuff.

 

True wildernesses are thrust upon us. Drive us crazy. Cause us to wilt. Make us search for a quick exit. Our wilderness may be a job loss, marital strife, kid problems (or parent problems,) addiction, illness, dead-end job, death of a loved one, homelessness or foreclosure, emptiness, bankruptcy, a DWI.

 

To face our Devil in our wilderness certainly takes God but it also takes our action. Action against the thing we do to "medicate" our wilderness experience instead of facing it. Putting down the drink or the credit card. Stop trying to impress or relive college. Finding a place (friend) where we can grieve instead of putting on a good face. Therapy, even though we say we cannot afford it (we really cannot afford not to.) Patience. Forgiving, for God's sake (ours, too.) Losing weight. Dumping the smokes. Shutting down the porn.

 

Real life waits beyond the wilderness. God will get us through. We will not know life till we trust God to carry us. I pray life for you.