I was reading a post on Facebook a couple weeks ago from an author that I follow. She was making an announcement about a new set of books she is starting to write for “those of us who wander in the wilderness of faith more than not” — this caught my attention.
The wilderness of faith? Isn’t faith supposed to get you out of the wilderness? How can faith be the wilderness?
I feel like my journey of faith has been me spending more time in the wilderness than out of it. So maybe that’s why this made me stop and think.
“The wilderness of faith” — just saying this gives me a mental image of a forest. Thousands of trees towering above. Light barely coming through. Wind rustling through the branches. Fallen twigs and leaves crunching under foot with each step.
These words come to mind… Dark. Alone. Isolated. Lost.
This idea of “the wilderness of faith” makes me think that maybe the wilderness could be so much more than I’ve been giving it credit for. The longer I pondered this idea, these questions popped into my head:
What if the wilderness was more than just a scary place to stumble through blindly?
What if it was a wilderness that taught me how to surrender? Or to trust God just a little bit more?
What if walking through the depths of the wilderness gave me the courage to finally accept that I’m not willing to settle for a mediocre faith?
What if I decided to let go of the tame expectations I have of God that make it easy for me to hold onto the comforting disillusionment of control?
What if the wilderness led me to a slightly wild faith?
A faith that doesn’t have to have all the answers.
A faith that lives outside the box.
A faith that dreams big dreams.
A faith that frees me from all of the preconceived notions I’ve carried with me for too long.
A faith that can breathe and hope and grow.
The wilderness of faith…
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Shining His Light 