{"id":46,"date":"2014-03-17T05:00:33","date_gmt":"2014-03-17T12:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theprovinceofjoy.com\/?p=46"},"modified":"2014-03-30T20:25:34","modified_gmt":"2014-03-31T03:25:34","slug":"lent-exploring-the-wilderness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theprovinceofjoy.com\/?p=46","title":{"rendered":"lent: exploring the wilderness"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.<\/p>\n

~ MK 4:12-13<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"flower_in_desert1\"<\/a>Sarah Parsons asks us in her book A Clearing Season<\/em> to begin where Jesus begins: in the wilderness.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 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<\/em>,\u00a0a period of great loss and confusion,<\/em> and emotional pain and unhappiness<\/em>.<\/em>\u00a0 Yikes!\u00a0 What are you expecting of my wilderness, Sarah?\u00a0 It’s wild, but it’s not that wild.<\/p>\n

And this is where I want to begin–with expectations.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Parsons uses, in my opinion, some strong language in these first and second chapters that might be off putting.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Because when we put the emotional language aside, we’re still left with the same very important process.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Gathering as I go.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 More God.<\/p>\n

Each day during [this first week of Lent], spend time in quiet solitude, thinking about wilderness. If you don’t already have a regular prayer time, begin with ten to fifteen minutes a day.\u00a0 When you sit in your chosen solitary place, distractions will bombard you.\u00a0 This is normal.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When I think about wilderness, I must admit I hear the crunch of pine needles underfoot and smell the warm earth dusting up around me.\u00a0 You see, I’m already struggling with control over her metaphor!\u00a0 I did not make enough time this week for quiet and solitude, and when I did, I couldn’t pay attention to God or stop to map my “wilderness.”\u00a0 In fact, I even spent one hour at a contemplative prayer service and chatted with myself the whole time.\u00a0 We gathered around the font and processed into the sanctuary chanting a Taize prayer.\u00a0 The altar had been beautifully adorned with a large icon for our meditation, and all around it pooled flickering tea lights.\u00a0 For the first few minutes I was swept up in the visual beauty but then as soon as I sat down and began to pray,\u00a0 I heard the creaking of the roof.\u00a0 Then the deafening silence.\u00a0 Then a host of thoughts crowded in.\u00a0 My wilderness.\u00a0 I was lost in it.\u00a0 And running.\u00a0 I couldn’t help but wonder if everyone else was, too.<\/p>\n

I’m sure you’ve experienced these distractions.\u00a0 It’s hard to be still, and this is what Lent asks of us.\u00a0 It’s hard.\u00a0 My days are packed with appointments, lectures, meetings.\u00a0 My evenings are filled with shuttle trips up and down the same boulevard, picking up and dropping off children and running to the market, the cleaners, squeezing in time for nurturing friendships and serving in ministry.\u00a0\u00a0 I commute about an hour to work and spend that time listening to Christian music, pretending it’s prayerful, but like in that church, I’m always running.\u00a0 Having conversations in my head.\u00a0 Dreaming and planning.\u00a0 I once did an overnight retreat at a monastery in Big Sur, and my mind only quieted down just as it was time to head home.<\/p>\n

Parsons has asked us to think about what emotions our wilderness stirs in us, and for me, those emotions are for the most part positive.\u00a0 Outside of grading student essays, everything I do brings me joy.\u00a0 But when I think of the impact my busy-ness has on those around me, I feel guilt and sadness.\u00a0 There are times when the chaos is less controlled, and while my child might be giving me a long, detailed synopsis of what she’s built on her Minecraft, I’m only half-heartedly listening.\u00a0 Thinking instead of that stack of papers or that meeting I need to prep for.\u00a0 Wilderness pressing in.<\/p>\n

And yet I do believe I receive God’s grace when I sit in wonder with my child.\u00a0 When I look into her eyes.\u00a0 When I see <\/em> <\/strong>her.\u00a0 When I hear<\/em><\/strong> her.\u00a0 When I know<\/em><\/strong> her.\u00a0 My oldest has her first crush on a boy and when we’re riding home in the car or folding laundry and she begins to tell me about him, how he’s beautiful and funny and sits next to her in social studies and how he “bumped” her foot under the desk the other day, she’s clearing space for me; she’s inviting me in to sacred space where I can see, <\/em>and hear, <\/em>and know <\/em>her.<\/em>\u00a0 In these moments, I feel God’s presence between us and am filled with gratitude.\u00a0 My littlest’s favorite time of day is when I crawl into her bed and read Homer to her.\u00a0 When I finish a few pages of The Odyssey <\/em>and move to set the book down, she clings to my shirt, throws her tiny legs over mine, and begs me to cuddle just a few more minutes.\u00a0 These are moments of peace in the midst of my life’s motion and sound.\u00a0 They are moments of grace.\u00a0 Sacraments even.\u00a0 And this Lent I never want to miss a single one.<\/p>\n

As a fan’s notes for grace, and quavery chant against the dark, and hoorah from the hustings, I sing a song of things that make us grin and bow, that just for an instant let us see sometimes the web and weave of merciful, the endless possible, the incomprehensible inexhaustible inexplicable yes. <\/em>~ Brian Doyle “Cool Things” from Grace Notes<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And how about you?\u00a0 Have you found time to map your own wilderness this first week of Lent?\u00a0 Where in your life do you feel a sense of struggle or tension?\u00a0 Amidst that, where can you sense God’s presence?\u00a0\u00a0 Leave a comment and let us know how you’re doing with Parsons’ book and your Lenten Journey.<\/p>\n

\n

If you are making your way here for the first time, we are discussing Sarah Parsons book A Clearing Season<\/em>.\u00a0 If you don’t have the book, you can still follow along.\u00a0 Next week we will reflect on our Lenten practices.\u00a0 Parsons asks us to address some element of our wilderness and consider one or more ways we might simply invite God into that space.\u00a0 The God of healing.\u00a0 The God of mercy wonder and awe.\u00a0 The God who invites you to the mountaintop, to let go of all your burdens and rest in holy, radiant light.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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.\u00a0 As … Continue reading lent: exploring the wilderness<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,5,2,17,3,4],"tags":[14,18],"class_list":["post-46","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-grace","category-joy","category-lent","category-peace","category-prayer","category-spirituality","tag-a-clearing-season","tag-sarah-parsons"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theprovinceofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theprovinceofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theprovinceofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theprovinceofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theprovinceofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=46"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/theprovinceofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85,"href":"https:\/\/theprovinceofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46\/revisions\/85"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theprovinceofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=46"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theprovinceofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=46"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theprovinceofjoy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=46"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}