Freedom in the Wilderness

SARAH DYER


Lent often begins with the symbol of ashes placed on the forehead in a cross with the statement,

"Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return."

This reminder attests to our humanity and the reality of our impermanence

Dust evokes imagery of the desert

Desert often is a vast wilderness

We may fear the wilderness or avoid the wilderness

Consider embracing the wilderness 

A place to question, to deconstruct, to wander and wonder, find self and find God

Wilderness may bring isolation, as COVID has forced for many 

Isolation may be enticing for those burnt out by the pandemic

Wilderness can be a space to slow down, to revisit gratitude

I imagine the wilderness as a liberating place

I can scream and yell without disturbing

I can unashamedly weep and moan about loss and death

I can be a raging "hulk" as my daughter describes when everything collides

I can strip down layers of learned behavior, expectations, shields of emotional protection

I can begin anew

As I continue to wander in the wilderness this Lenten season, I dare you to join me. May the Spirit push us out into the wild

Mark 1:12-13 At once, this same Spirit pushed Jesus out into the wild. For forty wilderness days and nights he was tested by Satan. Wild animals were his companions, and angels took care of him.

Do I Dare???

to step into the unknown

to leave the comfort of home and family

to be alone with myself, my thoughts

to feel emotions tidily boxed away by busyness

to be free

to be me

   fearfully and wonderfully made

   full of grief, anger, apathy, hope, love and joy

to turn off distractions

to let go

to fly

to fall

to walk without destination

to sit and listen

to move

   FAST and with intention

   FLEEING in fear

   SLOW and hesitant

to be hungry for fullness

to thirst for pure life

to be stripped of certainty

IF you dare....

Step with me into the desert

Feel the hot sand and scorching sun

Hear the ravaging vultures circling overhead

Taste the salt of sweat dripping down

See the emptiness for miles

Close your eyes as you sit under the broken shade

Smell the death that surrounds you

Now, settle your thoughts

            Sense the beat of your heart

                       And come home to your WILDERNESS.


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Sarah is an enneanerd 9. She is a doctor of physical therapy by day and “she-Hulk” by night per her children, Lilly (8) and AJ (4). She enjoys all things coffee and chocolate.

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