Read at St Luke’s in September 2021

The Desert

It goes by many names – darkness, chaos, desert, liminality, the wilderness, gethsemane, the dark forest. But the journey to the new invariably seems to go through this place. It would be much easier all round if it was possible to jump from the old to the new in one sweet move with no pain. But it rarely is.

It’s a place of being stripped of certainty.

A place of insecurity.

A place of unknowing.

A place where you have let go of the old but you can’t yet see the way ahead.

A place of self-doubt.

A place where your internal critic goes into overdrive.

A place where you feel like giving up.

A place of wondering why on earth you embarked on this journey.

It can also be a creative place.

A place of learning.

A place for deep questions about who you are and what you are about.

A place that shapes you.

A place to be silent and listen.

A place you are alone with God.

A place of prayer.

A place of new resolve.

If you find yourself in that place it’s normal.

Try not to run from it too quickly.

Published in Pioneer Practice by Jonny Baker

https://jonnybaker.blogs.com/jonnybaker/

https://www.getsidetracked.co/