The wilderness is often a solitary experience, especially at first—we’ve just left something that is no longer life-giving (even as the rest of the community seems to be going along as if nothing is wrong); our wilderness is our own. And yet, once we’re out there, we find it to be a place of meeting. God meets us in the wilderness places; and we often discover others who have found themselves out there, too. We can even find community (though it will almost certainly NOT look like the communities we’ve been a part of before) in these spaces of wondering and wandering, thirsty and waiting for God. Who have you met in your wilderness spaces? Whose story feels so much like your own (or so different, and yet it’s landed you in the same outside places)? How might you accompany each other in these spaces—even if it really is mostly a solitary thing, this wilderness experience? Who has been a comfort to you in your journey, their familiarity with the wilderness places offering a bit of reassurance that you haven’t totally lost the plot? Who have you been able to be that person for? Or might you? Consider widening your wilderness gaze today to notice who is accompanying you, even if they are each in their own process. Notice together—like ancient Israel—how your shoes haven’t worn out all this time, how you’ve been sustained, and maybe even share the ways God has met you out there: the story of your journey.

Posted by Jamie Bonilla at 2023-01-25 15:15:56 UTC