Ah! Wilderness!

I’ve always like that title for a book or a play. Not so fond of it as a description of what it’s like to live with chronic pain. But, so often,that is what it is like. Wilderness. Stark. Deserted. Hot, perhaps. Or, bitterly cold.. There’s no signpost to give direction. No oasis to give refreshment. But there are long stretches of earth – hard, stony, feet-planted-deep earth.

Yup. Living with chronic pain can often feel like being in the wilderness.

Jesus when into the desert, a kind of wilderness, to pray early into his ministry. There, he was tempted by the devil, who tried very hard to steer Our Lord from his path. He threw everything at Jesus, taunting him to call upon angels to bring Him relief.

But, our Lord stuck by his intention, going into that desert.

He went there to pray, and pray He did. And then, when it was time, He went about His work.

What if, the next time we are in a wilderness of pain, we dedicated it to prayer? What if, no matter how tempting it might be to turn against God in our desert of suffering, we turned toward Him. Completely.

In that simple moment of decision, as we step into the desert, our decision to pray just might change the landscape. And change our lives.

Peace,

Maureen