Here’s a reflection on “wilderness”
from Ann Siiddall at the Stillpont
Spirituality Centre.
Words
about Wilderness
Christianity began in a
culture
where “desert” and
“wilderness” were familiar environments,
both respected and
feared as the place
where angels and demons
might be found.
In wild, desolate
places God’s people
have been shaped by
their struggles,
and have found that
rocks have yielded water,
and manna has appeared
on the ground.
Beware of the comfort
of our lives,
where we grow
complacent and over-confident,
and where discernment
is limited
to choosing which
products to buy.
In this country of
Australia,
may we not forget the
metaphors
of wilderness and
desert, so familiar
to indigenous people
and early settlers.
Our journey may be into
an inner desert:
a place where
motivation and desire
is purified, and we
find ourselves refined
and strengthened in
spirit.
Jesus, whose formation
included wilderness,
will be at our side to
pray for us,
will wipe away our
tears, and place bread
into the hands which
have clutched at stones.
~
written by Ann Siddall, and posted on
the website of the Stillpoint Spirituality Centre. http://www.stillpointsa.org.au/
