I am so incredibly tempted to post a picture of my backyard
for this… but I will resist that temptation.
During Lent, we are especially focused on wilderness. Through the wilderness Jesus wandered
for 40 days… And through these 40 days in 2015 we contemplate our own
wilderness and how the trials impact our faith.
As I contemplate the meaning of ‘wilderness,’ rugged terrain
comes to mind. Over grown
brambles, forest so thick you can hardly find a way through; or sketchy
mountainous crags, with ridges so thin and descents so steep that your heat
skips a beat. Then I remembered
the desert.
The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years. 40 years! In 40 years I will be 63 years old. I don’t know about you, but I have a
whole bunch of other things on my agenda and life plan than tromping over caked
dirt and through cactuses for 40 years. I mean, I love adventure as much as the next person, but
after 23 years of learning and preparing for life I was kinda hoping for
something more…. Meaningful?
There are two impressions this vision of the Israelites in
the desert imparts. The first is living amidst the wilderness. For the Israelites, life
continued. Just because scorching
days and monotonous landscape was all that could be seen behind or ahead, did
not mean that all hope was lost.
Though they appealed and lamented to God “You know what, I think I’m
done. Get me out of this mess,”
they nevertheless continued.
Though faith waned at times, and camaraderie grew and fell, the
Israelites continued to walk, to wander, and to live. People died, people were born, marriages preformed, and birthdays
celebrated. Today, though our
manifestation of wilderness may not be a desert, the reality of life’s
continuity through the wilderness is certain. As people we must recognize this, call on God for help, and
continue to wander in our own experience of desert.
Second, though the Israelites wandered, their purpose in
life was not any less than it was before for exile. The chosen people still journeyed to the Promise Land. Each body, each soul among the masses,
still served a role in the fulfillment of deliverance and the recognition of
God’s people. This is difficult; the
reflection that God uses people through suffering, but it is a reoccurring
theme through the Bible, and through our society today.
As we journey through the wilderness of Lent together, let
us remember the Israelites, and remember that we are not alone.
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