IN THE WILD
“It’s in the dark where you recognize the light, a stirring right before the release”
So I don't know about you, but often in work environments or in school, at some point you are asked the “what would you do or bring if you were stranded on an island” activity. While I can and will come up with a great strategic plan, personally ye? In reality, I don't want to be placed in that situation because I’m choosing to sleep lol wake me up when you find an escape plan or just lets figure this out within 12-48 hours max because I will lose my mind and that is hoping I am stuck on an island with somebody because....chile me alone? Nah, I hate the feeling of being stuck or stagnant and it is mainly because it feels like on top of having no where to go, the struggle accompanied in that time seems all for nothing if it is not to go somewhere “I” want to go. Wandering in circles with no progress or aim is the worst torture.
This of course got me thinking about “unprogressive seasons" in our lives. It led me to envision the Israelites who were "stuck" in the wilderness for 40 years before getting to the promise land. Jesus and His fasting and temptation test prior to his launch in ministry, my own season where it felt "stagnant" and then launching into my next. I noticed a pattern forming.
Just before the elevation there is a period where we are in the wilderness. A holding period that seems to be incredibly tough before the release.
It then begs the question. How do you decipher if you are in a wilderness season or just plain stuck? Followed by, is it possible, I have been misinterpreting the two and missing out on the lessons the wilderness season was intended to show me?
Oh yes y'all, newsflash, at some point or another you have been in a wilderness season known or unbeknown to you. It is part of this journey we call life and quite frankly needed.
Let's address the first question.
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Wilderness season
A place of isolation and unfamiliarity
It is not always about hardship, but a time of obscurity and it’s uncomfortable
Isolation also may not necessarily be physical but mental
A place of hunger and pressure
A time of maturing and growth. That means removal and pruning ( not fun)
A place of renewal and intentionality not necessarily by you but from God. It is an intended place God has prepared for you
A place of preparation and grace for the next
Being stuck:
Primarily based on a perception in which you shouldn't be where you are
May stem from comparison
May arise from not learning lessons in the past and thus repeating similar mistakes in new ways
Notice any cycles?
May be from how you are labelling your situation or trial and the power you are giving to it.
You may need to redirect your energy
With this in mind we can deduce that wilderness seasons are essentially a pruning season created by God to bring out the best for you and tools you need for your next. We often want elevation, new opportunities, relationships but are often carrying baggage, mindsets, skills and behaviours that will not fit our next. So we need as humans, periods in our journey where we must stop and shed. Sometimes it comes willingly and other times for stubborn people like me haha it comes forcefully. How we see however dictates how we move and now we can add onto that line, how we label the situation will determine the energy we give to it. God does not place you where you belong, He places you where you can grow! In the wild, you are desperate to survive, you are hungry! You can't use comfort tactics in here. You become resourceful, your eyes are sharper, your senses are much clearer. You realize you are capable for more and the pressure you are facing is not meant to disarm you, weaken you or take you out, but purify and strengthen you. Give you a thirst for more. It is the wilderness that exposes what you are made of on the inside. It harnesses the resolve you need for your next level.
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Now this may sound daunting but I promise you this is not the intent. The wilderness is a place curated just for you! Not for torture but for growth. God had you in mind when he created it, so your wilderness will look different from others but you will come out on the other side refined. Your feelings will mistake you to believe you are alone, but it is in this very placed you are more covered than you can imagine. Understand that when God calls you to live in purpose and to do what you’ve been created to do, He calls you to preparation first. He will never leave you hanging or drowning in the deep end, but He leads, so you must follow. You got to lean in and participate even in this season of pruning. Believe you me, it may feel confusing, frustrating, scary maybe even lonely, but you are more prepared for the wilderness than you think. We often underestimate what we possess and what God has already granted us, but the wilderness will make us remember. The wilderness will firm our roots that will guide us to our next.
Take a step back and look at what is currently happening in your life right now. What words are you using to describe what is going on. What is your posture? Are you resistant or are you surrendering to the season? Remember misdiagnosing your time in the wilderness may forfeit the blessing of your next. Don't get in a wheel of complaining instead ask what am I suppose to learn here, what am I suppose to be paying attention and giving my energy to?
Until next week
XOXO
