Into the Wild

If I were to take an honest look at my life, I would have to admit that I’ve spent a great deal of it wishing I were somewhere else. When I was a kid I couldn’t wait to be older and do all of the things my older sister could do. I couldn’t wait to go to high school, to be able drive, to graduate, etc. As I got older my longing to be somewhere else continued and I couldn’t wait to get out of college, to get a job, to get married, to get any other job than the one I had. The list is endless. I even catch myself at times looking back and wish I could turn back the clocks to relive my childhood. That’s me…constantly looking elsewhere…daydreaming…wishing…praying.

I often picture myself in a vast desert…it’s endless…dusty and dry…and I’m thirsty. I feel lost and disoriented and constantly long for the comfort of home…for the familiar. It’s during these moments that I spend so much time longing to be somewhere else, that I often miss what it is that God is trying to show me and teach me in the here and now. In other words, I spend so much time complaining about the desert that I forget that I’m being led to the Promised Land.

Conversely, there are many lessons to be learned in the desert or wilderness. Moses found his purpose in the desert place (Exodus 3:10). The Israelites found survival, identity, freedom, and God's protection and provision in the desert (Exodus). Elijah the prophet heard the voice of God in the wild (1 Kings 19). Even Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil, and yet by not sinning, he taught us obedience, righteousness, humility, and the life giving power of God’s Word.

You see it is in the wild that God shapes us and molds us. There we find purpose and taste true freedom…when we thirst, we learn to rely on His provision. It is during those times that God desires for us to hear His voice in the midst of all the noise in our lives. Maybe He wishes to remind us that we are merely sojourners on this earth…to find no comfort here, but long for something greater. After all, “He has set eternity in the hearts of men” (Eccl. 3:11). Perhaps he wants us to discover the untamed joy that can only be found in the journey itself.

So, we are prone to wander…almost instinctively. Setting our hearts on a pilgrimage. Discovering the untamed joy of the journey. A journey that carries us towards destiny…that leads us home.