February 27 - Wilderness


Wilderness.
Where is the wilderness in your life?
Something I am trying to do with this lent practice is to let my instincts guide me. To pay attention to my first reaction to the question and see where it leads me. My first reaction to this question was a vision of my desk.
I have been struggling with my desk for a couple of weeks. There’s too much stuff on it. But every time I think I am going to get it cleaned up I end up getting overwhelmed, confused, distressed – because it’s not just a matter of putting things away. I think there are a lot of decisions that need to be made here.
Books I need to read. Catalogs I need to search for curriculum. Letters to respond to, notes to scan for to-do items, and stuff that has been there so long it begs the question – what am I trying to do here?
I. Have. A lot. Going. On.
All of it is good. Some of it is critical, essential. And it’s a wilderness because I just need some time to see what it all means. I just need a little time to discern some direction and focus.
I guess I have been too busy doing good things to take the time to listen. Imagine that.
Maybe it’s a good thing to see my messy desk as a wilderness. Because when I hear the word wilderness, I think of God calling me away from the noise of the world. A wilderness offers an invitation to stop…pull away…listen.

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