Out of the Wilderness

Hey there, my friend!!

I hope that you have had a great couple of weeks in the new year! I will say it’s been good on this end. A bit busy, but it has been good. There are so many new roads to travel as we come out of the chaotic and noisy atmosphere of the busy highways.

You know, I’ve been thinking about this whole wilderness thing. We hear it all the time, and yet do we really know what it means? We have read where the Israelites wandered for 40 years, and Jesus was tempted for 40 days, and at one time I asked myself — is this punishment? What about you? Have you questioned the why of the wilderness? Turns out, they were different stories and the same truth — preparation.

What I am realizing is that the wilderness, in all its harsh, dark moments, has a purpose. We may not like it… wait… let me rephrase that — WE WON’T like it. Not one little bit. These places are hard, dark, lonely, and often unsettling. We find ourselves trying to navigate a place we don’t understand, and usually we do so of our own accord.

YIKES!!

Yes, my friend, we have all tried to get through a harsh wilderness by leaning on what we know, see, feel, and hear. You know… those abilities that we have in the flesh. I have to say, my hand is raised really high right now because I have been in this place. I was in a broken place, and I didn’t know it. I knew it wasn’t how it was supposed to be. I knew I hadn’t chosen it. But what I didn’t realize was that there was a reason. How could I know this? I didn’t even know who God was in this place.

As a young girl dealing with abuse, I honestly didn’t know that I was in a wilderness. I just knew that it was life, and I had to learn to navigate a lot of emotions, behaviors, and challenges. These weren’t necessarily all attached to me. Some of them were the actions and behaviors of those around me. I was following the lifestyle that I was brought up in.

I can look back and see how God was a pillar in my life growing up. He was always on time and never changed. At the time — I had no clue. As I grew up and chose to accept salvation and become transformed, I began to see the lesson of being in that wilderness. Not that abuse is ever ok, because it is not. But, in the midst of mine, God was always a protector. Yet, I had no idea who He was or who He would become in my life.

The wilderness of my childhood was where I met hope. Maybe not in Jesus — as I had no concept of what that meant — but I had a hope that there was a better way to live. I had hope that I was valuable and worthy. It wasn’t a huge hope, but it was enough to keep me pushing through the dark wilderness.

When I turned 18, the wilderness changed. It was no longer abuse, but it was a place of living life in the false hope of making the world my saving grace. But again, the wilderness changed for me one Sunday when I chose salvation. It was then that I knew the Hope called Jesus. That was when I began walking out of the wilderness of shame, pain, and brokenness.

It is the hope of encountering Jesus that gives us the ability to go from the wilderness to His peace. It is so tempting to look for the ‘milk and honey’ when we come out of the wilderness. We want to find an easy and comfortable life because we are just exhausted of wandering. But Friend, here is what I have learned in this situation: the real promised land isn’t about comfort. It’s about encountering Jesus. It’s where we meet Him and become transformed.

You know, it’s okay if you are struggling to find that hope. The great thing is that Jesus is always near and is ready to meet us where we are. If you are fighting isolation to find hope in connection, you are not far from the source of that hope.

Sweet Friend, our journey on the backroads is the perfect place to meet hope. In the soft sunshine of the flower-filled valley or the bright moonlight on the snow-covered mountain, we can meet the hope that created such beautiful scenery!

I learned that the way to transformation is through hope. And that hope is found in the One who defined it.

Are you in the wilderness right now? Are you exhausted from a year that was tough and overwhelming? Let me tell you something — hope is nearer than you think. He is ready to meet you right where you are.

This post originally appeared on Backroads & Breakthroughs. Join the Backroads Community for weekly encouragement and Journey Notes!