Emerging From the Wilderness, Don’t Look Like Where You Have Been

Last summer I went on a hike through a nature trail.  What I thought was a fun idea turned out to be quite the adventure.  On the hike there were views of rolling of hills, skylines, enchanting ponds just off the paths and at times a deafening silence spanning the rolling green canvas.  The hike was rewarding overall, but as I emerged from the trails there were some clear signs that I have just been in a forest.  I had scratches on my legs, face, and arms where tiny branches snapped back or didn’t move at all…oopsy me. Unbeknownst to me, I served as a buffet for some tough critters who fought through the layers of bug spray to grab a taste of my skin….ugh!  Bottomline:  I made it through, but the problem is that I looked like where I have been, in the wilderness.  While the hike was good for me physically, I had a lot of explaining to do when I attended a dinner party later that evening.

Spiritually speaking, we will all have at some point what is called a wilderness experience.  The wilderness experience is a place where we can go through loss, being alone, confusion, a bad relationship, rejection, and the list goes on.  Through all of those things, however, this experience can produce a deeper faith in God and endurance to “run on and see what the end is gon’ be.  So often, when we go through storms, we turn to too much food, hang on to something too long, stop praying, stop reading the Word, or turn to other unhealthy habits that can affect us in the long run.

Oh goodness, there is soooo much that I want to expound on about the wilderness experience, but let me bottom line this now with the purpose of this particular post…..

The wilderness is not comfortable.  We don’t always understand why we go through it, but it is as necessary as that breath you just took and what you learn, gain, and lose in the wilderness is preparing you for where God is taking you. What I have learned while on the verge of emerging from my own wilderness is that it is so very important to take care of yourself while you are in this in experience.  While you want to take and apply what you learn there, it is important not to look like where you have been.  Don’t allow this experience to damage you (gain weight, emotional and physical problems, bitterness, depression, a guarded heart, etc) in a way that you cannot stand or operate in your purpose after you emerge……. 

What do you do if you find yourself in what may be a wilderness experience?  You need to check into the best GPS system ever for direction….Prayer to God and His Holy Word!!! If you “stop” or sit down in the wilderness and yield to your circumstances you will die there, your purpose will die there….get up, get moving and seek God for His direction!!!!!  Ready, set, go!  Hey you are not moving  fast enough lol….move!

On the Journey…….