The desert
The First Week of Lent
Now, the journey begins
Like the days we prepare for a trip
(go to the bank, fill the prescriptions, stop the mail, buy toothpaste)
And the decisions about what we take and what we leave behind
(often too much is packed and rarely is what not taken missed)
When finally the moment comes that the unfinished work will have to wait
(except of course what can still be done on the plane)
The destination is unclear — which is why we call it a journey
We find ourselves in the desert
So did Jesus
Ours
(at least mine)
looks different
(although I have never been to His)
But, I know well both being cared for by angels and tempted by devils
We sit in the middle of the desert
My desert isn’t quiet and abandoned and still
There is no sand and heat and barren land
My desert has keyboards and Tweets and Posts and plans
It is chaotic and restless and is filled with endless chatter from 24 hour news cycles
My desert tempts me to despair and invites me to relinquish my small actions in lieu of the comfort of powerlessness
There is no burning bush of confirmation
Just the simple direction,
“Just make the next right choice”
In the desert of Lent, we face ourselves
There is no post, no text, no You Tube, no Ted Talk that has the answer
The desert leads us into the whisper in the midst of the noise
Gratitude extinguishes despair
Connection heals isolation and the paralysis of inaction
The desert is where we are —
Never alone
Listening to the whisper
and
Making the Next Right Choice
No more preparing for the Lenten Journey
We are on it.
In the desert
That’s All.
Very Simple.
Very Hard to Do
Today, Just Make the Next Right Choice
