At once the Spirit drove him out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.

~ MK 4:12-13

Sarah Parsons asks us in her book A Clearing Season to begin where Jesus begins: in the wilderness.  As we begin our Lenten journey, she says, we need to find our wilderness, I mean actively seek this wild place rather, and sit there in quiet.  I don’t know about you, but that sounds scary to me! As I look over my notations in this first chapter, I’ve underlined things like barrage of fears, worries and anxieties, a period of great loss and confusion, and emotional pain and unhappiness.  Yikes!  What are you expecting of my wilderness, Sarah?  It’s wild, but it’s not that wild.

And this is where I want to begin–with expectations.  It’s important we not lay claim to anyone’s wilderness or be led to feel that clearing space for God this Lenten season means we must stare the devil down or finally clean out that closet once and for all.  Parsons uses, in my opinion, some strong language in these first and second chapters that might be off putting.  But as I’ve progressed through her book and looked over her exercises, I eventually realized that my wilderness is gonna do, and yours will, too.  Because when we put the emotional language aside, we’re still left with the same very important process.  I’m afraid to choose terms to define this process right now because like you, I am in the midst of it, but I am paying attention.  Gathering as I go.  This first week of Lent involves making time for silence and solitude, and as I gaze down our path into the weeks ahead, I see a gradual opening filled with more light, more grace, more joy.  More God. Continue reading lent: exploring the wilderness →