Various definitions of wilderness suggest it is "uncultivated, uninhabited, inhospitable". Another says, "inhabited by wild animals only", while still another says, “a confusing mass or collection.”
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You could be in the midst of a wilderness as you read this. It’s the place of hardship, struggle, uncertainty and questions that don’t seem to have satisfactory answers.
It’s the place of experiences, a place that catches us off guard. Sometimes we find ourselves there because of choices we have made. At other times, it’s a series of unfolding events where one day we wake up and wonder, how did we get here?
It’s easier to pretend everything is fine because then we don’t have to explain the unexplainable. We have convinced ourselves that we are meant to have all the answers. And this doesn’t go anywhere near to describing the expanse of wilderness.
There is a story of Jesus spending time in the wilderness. I struggle to fully comprehend what it may have looked like.
I have a sense he is lonely and isolated. He feels this incredible ache and is deeply unsettled. I imagine there would be moments, days, where Jesus would have wondered what on earth he was doing.
Days filled with more questions than answers, hunger and thirst, and to top it all off he was offered short cuts, ways out and a quick fix for the days and years to come. Somehow, Jesus was able to hold a bigger vision than current circumstances. At the end of this experience, he needed looking after.
What if the wilderness was a place of discovery and wonder? A place of new perspectives? Where we could experience a filling of something new, where we could lay down the heaviness of the past and walk into a new destination. A place full of questions but also a place of healing. Perhaps, it’s also a place where we discover those who care for us.
The wilderness doesn't have a timeframe, often stretching out longer than we would like. It can be a place of fogginess and clarity. A place of insight. And despite being in between, it might also be a place where we feel hopeless and discover hope. A destination beyond our current circumstances, as we discover we are not alone and there are those who care for us.
The wilderness, as vast as it may be, is a place where we learn to trust again - ourselves, others and God; and we can experience the wilderness as a place of healing and new life.
