surviving in the wilderness: lenten guidance

The following is guidance for surviving in the wilderness.

1. Don’t deny that you are in the wilderness.

2. Don’t let the wilderness overwhelm you.

3. Live one day at a time---observe the Sabbath rest.

4. Participate in the Christian community.

5. Keep a journal about what is going on inside you and around you.

6. Live with the great passages of scripture.

7. Do something for someone else.

8. Exercise and get out of the house.

9. Keep visible and tangible reminders of good things.

10. It is in the wilderness that you are most likely to grow.

11. Everything that is broken in this life will not be fixed in this life.

Note: The most important notes in the field guide for surviving in the wilderness are found in Exodus 16 and Matthew 6. Wilderness is here defined as any portion of the journey that is chaotic, draining, unpredictable or dangerous. Life experiences might include the loss of work, failure at school, grief, divorce, chronic illness, adolescence, a move to a new community, and betrayal. In the wilderness God seems more absent than present. For additional reflection, see John and Adrienne Carr's The Pilgrimage Project (Abingdon, 1987) and my Bread in the Wilderness (Abingdon, 2010).