There are ruts in the road where she dragged her feet.
In these 31 Days of October I am unpacking my learning from the book, Braving The Wilderness, by Brené Brown. She has been a favorite author for years. In this new publication she manages to build a sidewalk and curb in the wilderness where we can bravely tread.
I did not want to move to the Northwest and leave my family home. It felt truly like a wilderness to me. No friends, no family, no memories, I was scared to stand alone. When my husband said there were ruts in the road where I was dragging my feet, he wasn't kidding. But the wilderness set me up on a path of inner trust and strength.
The wilderness is a metaphor used by "theologians, writers, poets, musicians, to represent everything from a vast and dangerous environment where we are forced to navigate trials to a refuge of nature and beauty where we seek space for contemplation. What all wilderness metaphors have in common are the notions of solitude, vulnerability, and an emotional, spiritual, or physical quest. "
When Jehovah brought the children of Israel out of Egypt he brought them into the wilderness. When Haggar was sent away from Abraham and Sarah, she went into the wilderness where she had her own experience with God. When Jacob wrestled with God it was in the wilderness.
The wilderness is really a place of opportunity to know for yourself what you believe and for what you will stand. However unwillingly I have wandered there, I know it is a place of great personal growth. I much prefer being in the middle of a group where I belong but unfortunately many times in my life I feel out of place and lonely.
Tomorrow I write about the quest for true belonging.
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Yes, the wilderness is not always pleasant or a place we would tend to choose to go, but it is usually a place of growth.
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