Every Lent we learn anew to walk the wilderness way. Like children learning to walk, we also are learning how to walk before our Father in heaven. So we return again and again, asking Him to teach by His Spirit, how to pray, how to hear, how to live.
We rehearse the wilderness way, the desert plains, the valley of the shadow of death. There are no experts here. There are no titles, no awards, no recognition. This is a place of stripping off our titles, our grandiose visions, our self-reliance. When ancient Israel passed through the wilderness, the Lord humbled them and tested them. He allowed them to know hunger. He fed them with manna, Bread from Heaven. So that they would know (and we would know) that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.
We come to sit at His at feet. We meditate upon His Word. We strip away distractions through fasting, prayer, giving our money and time to serve the world around us. While these disciplines may be disciplines of living throughout the year, we refocus with renewed attention, asking the Lord for mercy and grace. We return to the source of our faith, the faithfulness of our Savior Jesus Christ.
As we behold Him, we may begin to realize that we do not walk the journey alone. We are surrounded by brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers. In a community of mutual submission, we learn to walk, we learn to kneel, we learn rest, we learn to love.
I'd love to hear your thoughts.