I am not by any means a "city girl" having been raised in the marshlands of the Gulf Coast of Texas. Therefore, I am no stranger to hard work,livestock, gardens, canning, yardwork, etc... However, I am not one of those people who enjoy what I would consider "harsh or extreme" conditions. I don't do creepy, crawly critters and when something slithers across my path my "snake dance" is a sight to behold! I recently saw a TV show where some guy gets dropped off in the middle of nowhere and then has to survive on various bugs, drink weird stuff, and sleep in cramped and cold places. All I have to say to that is "No thank you!" I love the outdoors but give me the closest Lodge or Holiday Inn at the end of the day and I am just fine with that.
I don't seek out hardships and in fact, want to avoid them if at all possible. However, it interesting that I sometimes find myself in the wilderness in spite of my best efforts to avoid that very place. Not physically, but sometimes emotionally and/or spiritually. I was reading in Luke Ch. 4 how Jesus was led into the desert by the Holy Spirit where for 40 days He was tempted by the devil. This came right after Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. After having visited the Holy Land I got a whole new appreciation for what the desert or the wilderness really looks like. Desolate is the best word I can think to describe the utter barrenness or "lack of life" that I saw. Miles and mile of rocks, dirt, and sand made it appear that no life could be sustained there. Yet this was the place Jesus was instructed to go. This was the place satan sought to derail Jesus from his work and mission. The devil wanted to "tempt Jesus to forsake His love for the Father and take shortcuts to accomplish what God sent Him to do."
As a wife and mother I am often tempted to take "shortcuts" too. In fact, I think I am the "shortcut queen". I hate tasks or anything (like puzzles and math problems) that takes a really long time. My husband is so very meticulous and patient and I am the complete opposite. We have this joke when we have a long and arduous task before us where he says, "A task worth doing is worth doing right." I answer, "I can do it wrong 10 times and finally get it right in the amount of time it took you to do it once." (All said in love of course!) I have the patience of a 3 yr. old most days so "finding the loophole" or "way out" is a big temptation for me. The reason is either the task feels to big for me to handle or because my purpose seems vague and unimportant. Some days just the "sameness and repetition" of preparing meals "again", washing the same clothes "again", and cleaning house "again" can feel boring and less than meaningful. I wonder if all of the things I am trying to accomplish will have any lasting value. It feels very wilderness - dry and dusty and hot and no relief in sight!
I read the following verse and it shed great light on possible "why wilderness living occurs". Deut. 8:2 says, "Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these 40 years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands." This struck me like a bolt of lightning. God sometimes puts me in a hard situation to find out what is in my heart and just how much "fruit of the Spirit" is going to come out when I get "squeezed". I wish I could say that I had reached a stage of maturity where God finds nothing but good in my heart and the only thing seen is peace, love, joy, patience, etc... But alas that is not reality. My goal is not perfection but progress. Some days it looks like progress of a snail but that is still progress! Perfection will not come until the day we are with Jesus but each day I can walk closer with Him and become more like Him.
One final note of encouragement that comes in the next verses in Deut. 8. To paraphrase...the Israelites were in the wilderness and they did get hungry and have regular normal needs. However, God provided them food and their clothes and shoes did not wear out. That tells me that even in the midst of boring, dry, and dusty times - God loves me and cares for me and is very attentive to even my "everyday" needs. So...just like Jesus we need to handle our "shortcut temptations" with God's Word and use it like a weapon. We don't give up or jump ship - just press on to the prize that is before us!
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