We looked at waiting and its discomfort and inconvenience in the Part 1 of this series. If it’s inevitable, how should I approach these seasons? I find it helpful in life to call something what it is. If it’s a good idea, say it is. If it’s a beautiful day, call it that. So what can we name these seasons of waiting? How about the wilderness? The wilderness has a primary role in the Biblical narrative for character development. The story opens with a waiting audience to meet the story’s creator, and the story ends with an audience waiting for that same creator to return. In the waiting between, we find stories of people like you and me who are flawed, messy, rebellious, and selfish. Yet we are all dearly beloved. They are part of the most extraordinary story ever told, yet many, if not most, spent significant moments of their lives waiting. The Bible has a name for many of these waiting seasons: the wilderness.
When used as a metaphor, the wilderness symbolizes the character development of those in the story. It’s a place often of solitude, scarcity, and even painful seasons. You might be thinking, “Sounds like punishment to me.” I would be lying if I didn’t recognize that some of our waiting in life is circumstantial. But what if we consciously embraced these seasons in leveraging them for our character development?
What do I mean by wilderness? Take Jesus, for example. Directly after one of the pivotal moments of his life, being baptized and publicly recognized by his Father, he is “led into the wilderness.” There he was alone, without necessities, and was attacked by his greatest enemy. Sounds horrible. You’re telling me to embrace moments like these? Yes! At the end of that waiting, we see Jesus being cared for by an angel, and he arises from that 40-day and night struggle to become the greatest leader in world history. He embraced the season, recognizing for what it was, and emerged triumphant. So can you, and so can I.
When we recognize that a season of waiting (trial, testing, anguish, etc.) may be forming in us a greater resolve necessary for our story’s future, it will change the way we wait. Will we tend toward complaint? Probably. Will we ask God where he is hiding? Most likely. But, if we call it what it is and name it, we may just be positioned to recognize we are not alone and we will emerge victorious eventually. In the final part of this blog series, we will look at two stories of waiting in the wilderness, but for now, ask yourself: Am I in a wilderness season? What about this season is painful, and what about it is hopeful? Am I the only one in the wilderness waiting? What can I learn through this waiting? We all have seasons in the wilderness. Your dessert isn’t like mine per se, but if we recognize it for its fruitful possibilities, we may find a sweet oasis to refresh us until we emerge as a much better “character” in the story of life.
Dr. Christian Nichles, Pastor & Board Member, Pastor4Pastors Participant
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