Category: Courage

Courage, healing, Life storms, Spiritual growth

Scars of the Spirit

Rev Kathy

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I have my fair share of what I call scars of the spirit. They remain with me, reminding me that I survived my deepest wounds. They also remind me that the damage life has inflicted on me has left me stronger and more resilient.

No one escapes the woundedness of a life well lived. No one can claim to be free of scars. But every person — flawed, scarred and wounded — can use the hurt of the past to be stronger in the present and more resilient for the future.

It seems that I have two choices. Either I can look at my past and hold on to the kind of bitterness that destroys a contented life. Or I can own my past, with all of its wounds, and become stronger because of it. In The Fires of Heaven, Robert Jordan writes, “The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived.”

I am grateful to know that when strong winds blew through my life, I bent with the wind. I moved forward stronger than I was before. With me, I brought wounds and scars. But they remind me that I survived.

Courage, Dreams, Freedom

Let’s Soar!

Rev Kathy

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I love the phrase from the Bible, “Rise up with wings as eagles.” It always reminds me of possibilities beyond what I can imagine. The entire scripture verse in Isaiah 40:31 says this:

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

There are many days when I need renewed strength, when I just hope to walk without fainting. It has been a very long time since I was able to run without tiring. In my more youthful years, I actually thought I could fly in the blowing wind.

But I am too stubborn to believe that my soaring days are over. I still feel at times that I can “rise up with wings as eagles.” It is a blessing from God who continues to give us strength throughout our lives. The most important thing we can do is wait upon the Lord and be ready to rise up.

Our God’s everlasting arms are beneath us. The wind is blowing. The eagles are waiting. Let’s soar!

Courage, Faith, Risk

Delicate Wings

Rev Kathy

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I love watching the fluttering flight of a butterfly. I am mesmerized by their colorful, delicate wings, amazed that they are so resilient. Monarch butterflies, for instance, possess a mind-boggling skill. Without any guidance, they inherently know how, when and where to migrate across continents—and it takes four generations to make the yearlong trek.

The monarch butterfly’s migration begins in the spring, with the first generation making its debut into the world. Born in March and April, these tiny insects pick up where their predecessors left off, traveling farther north on a generational journey that totals 1,200 to 2,500 miles. That’s quite the feat for creatures with wing spans of only 3.5 to 4 inches.

We could learn a lesson from the butterfly. It emerges from a lifeless cocoon, develops beautiful wings, and embarks on amazing migrations. I like the migration story told by Annie Dillard in her book, “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.” She writes that the monarch butterfly flies across Lake Superior and makes it all the way without a rest. That is a distance of about 500 miles! We don’t understand how those delicate butterflies do that. But thousands make their way across that mighty lake every single year during their migration.

None of them arrive without being wind-battered, snatched at from behind, hind legs torn off by the birds that pecked at them along the way. Our life journeys are just as challenging. Like the butterfly’s wings, we can be delicate. But even though we may be battered and broken along the way, we take risks, we keep flying, we persevere. We move forward. We survive!

Courage, Life storms

My Angel of Strength

Rev Kathy

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An angel hovers in the limbs of the tree in my yard. I have had her for years as a reminder. She is called The Angel of Strength. As I watch her this morning, she is living up to her name. She flies unhindered in the strong breezes we are experiencing today, holding on to her place in the sunlight, holding on to her limb as the leaves blow around her.

My angel of strength reminds me to stay strong, to stand my ground against any wind. She reminds me that, yes, I can be blown about by winds of change, but I am able to hang on with courage, unharmed.

Life is full of winds of change, good change and change that is not so good. My angel and I withstand all of it with wings spread out, holding our own in every change.

Oh, and one more thing. I know a God who remains faithful in every change. The hymn “Be Still, My Soul” says this:

In every change, He faithful will remain . . .

Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.

I know this is real and true. My angel of strength reminds me of that!

Courage, Faith, Life storms

Strong through Every Storm

Rev Kathy

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I am no stranger to the rain. I have seen my share of life’s storms, frightening and strong against me. But I have been stronger than every storm. I have stood firm against the gale force winds and the flashes of lightning. I have survived every time. Surviving was hard, but with a heart of hope, I moved forward with life. And I was made stronger by the struggle.

It had little to do with my own strength, everything to do with strength that comes from God. I love the scripture in the book of Mark that tells the story of the disciples weathering a storm on the sea.

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” – Mark 4:35-41 New International Version (NIV)

I have been strong through every storm. I have often sensed God speaking to me with the words: “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

I have learned that standing strong against a storm means calling on deeply hidden faith in God. It works every time.

Courage, Faith, God's Faithfulness, Risk

“If footmen tire you, what will horses do?”

Rev Kathy

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Many, many years ago I heard a sermon entitled, “If footmen tire you, what will horses do?” I was intrigued by the question and headed straight to the Bible to see what it was all about. I found it in Jeremiah 12:5.

If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, wherein you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the swelling of Jordan?

After all these years, I am still intrigued by these questions. I have asked myself similar questions many times. If I am tired out by this small task, how will I fare when the work is harder? If I complain when I have a simple illness, what will I do if a serious illness attacks me? If I am brought low by the harsh words others say about me, how will I endure a complete betrayal?

I have been through each of these life circumstances. I read and read for a word of relief. It took me all the way to Jeremiah’s 15th chapter where I found this consolation in verse 20:

Though they fight against you,
They will not prevail over you;
For I am with you to save you
And deliver you, declares the Lord.
So I will deliver you from the hand of the wicked,
And I will redeem you from the grasp of the violent.

Life has knocked me flat plenty of times. I have experienced grief, failure, betrayal, sadness. I have seen things I never wanted to see. But no matter how many times I’ve been knocked down, I always, always get up.

I learned two lessons along the way:

Don’t sweat the small stuff.
In the end, God will be with you through it all.

That’s Gospel Good News!

Courage, Faith, Hope, Life pathways

Choose Courage

Rev Kathy

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An ancient saying: “Courage does not always roar. Sometimes it is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying ‘I will try again tomorrow.'”

It takes courage to travel through life. Life pathways can be mysterious, even frightening at times. But they can also be beautiful and inviting, drawing us into the path, revealing its mysteries.

Yes, it does take courage to enter a blind pathway. But I can be scared and courageous all at once. Sounds impossible, doesn’t it? It is not impossible. Yet courage is not always easy.

You may wonder how to be courageous even when you’re scared. It starts by not pretending to be more courageous than you really are. It happens when you take a deep breath and move forward in spite of your fear. It happens when your dreams become more important than your terror. It happens when you’re willing to take a risk.

I wish I could tell you that if you are courageous all your problems will go away.
But I can’t.
What I can tell you is that if you choose courage you get to be free.
If you choose courage you get to watch the sunset over a beautiful beach.
If you choose courage you get to smile at strangers. You get to help others.
You get to taste life again. (www.secondfirsts.com)

I am awaiting a kidney transplant. The thought of it is terrifying to me, and I wonder if I will have enough courage to take the risk of the surgery. At times, I think I should leave well enough alone and resign myself to a life of dialysis. At other times, I long to be free from that daily eight hour regimen. It’s hard to have long-term courage. It’s much easier be courageous for this day, just one day.

I hope I will choose courage. I hope I will be courageous enough to set myself free. I hope I will have enough courage to reach out for a better life. I hope I will travel the unknown, mysterious path. I hope I will have courage enough to dream. I hope I will be the quiet voice at the end of the day that says “I had enough courage for today. I will try again tomorrow.”

Courage, Freedom, peace

Freedom

Rev Kathy

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In New York Harbor stands the statue that reminds us of freedom. She reminds us of our nation’s commitment to invite others into our special place of freedom, to encourage them to build their lives under our flag. I hope that commitment never changes. I hope that this nation will always be one that welcomes strangers.

Welcoming those who dream of living in America is the pinnacle of the word philanthropy. Philanthropy (from Greek φιλανθρωπία) means etymologically, the love of humanity, in the sense of caring, nourishing, developing, and enhancing what it means to be human. Sharing our freedom with those who come to our shores is an incredible way to show love for humanity.

I hope that freedom will always remain as an integral part of our lives as Americans. I hope that the poem of Emma Lazarus, engraved on a tablet within the pedestal on which the Statue of Liberty stands, will abide in our hearts.

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles.

From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she

With silent lips.

“Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Courage, Creating, Dreams, peace, Risk

Dreamers and Misfits

Rev Kathy

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In my younger years, I was a dreamer of dreams, big dreams, impossible dreams, dreams that I had to fight for. Without a fight, the dreams would not have become reality. I was brave and fearless. I would stand my ground in front of any person trying to thwart my dream. I would face off against any obstacle.

Where did all that bravery go? When did I stop taking risks? When did I give up on dreams? When did I lose my strong resolve to help create a better world?

Aging had a role, as did illness. Yet, I cannot help but believe that somewhere beneath this exterior reality, the old dreamer and misfit still lives. I cannot help but believe that I still care about justice and hope, hope for a better future. I am convicted and inspired by the words of Bishop Steven Charleston:

It may seem odd, in this age of doubt and disillusionment, that some of us still believe in a hopeful future, a time of justice, and the power of love to overcome every evil. It may seem odd, in this epoch of technology and consumerism, that we still believe in God, in a conscious and living presence that cares for us and helps us to care for one another. It may seem odd, but there is a perfectly reasonable explanation: we believe these things because we are odd. We are the odd ones out, the misfits and dreamers, the mystics and advocates. We do not follow the party line, but step over it, together, every chance we get. – Steven Charleston

The Bible calls us pilgrims and strangers, a royal priesthood, a peculiar people. Yes, misfits as Steven Charleston says, misfits that go against the grain of the status quo. Misfits that still dream in spite of those who want to maintain the world as it is.

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that you should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.

So I want to spend my remaining years stepping over the line, taking risks in the name of love, living out of a compassionate heart, challenging the world’s evil ways, dreaming of justice, being a maker of peace, and not counting the cost. I hope you will do the same, sisters and brothers. This world needs all the misfits who still care and all the dreamers who won’t give up.

Courage, Faith, healing, Spiritual growth

Wounds of the Soul

Rev Kathy

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The past and its memories can be harsh. Especially for those who have experienced great hurt. I call such hurts wounds of the soul.

After the injury ceases its pain, after the scars heal, the wounds of the soul remain. They remain forever as a reminder, not only that I was hurt, but also that I survived. I have learned not to be enslaved by my wounds. They remind me that I was stronger than the thing or the person that tried to hurt me.

How does one heal the wounds of the soul? You don’t heal them. They never go away. They remain on the soul as badges of courage and reminders of strength and perseverance. They happened in the past, of course, but they make me more mindful of the glories of the present moment.

“When we are mindful, deeply in touch with the present moment, our understanding of what is going on deepens, and we begin to be filled with acceptance, joy, peace and love.”

– Thich Nhat Hanh
In spite of the soul’s wounds, I am filled with acceptance, joy, peace and love. There is a part of me that is grateful for the wounds that stay with me. They make me stronger. They make me resilient. They make me wise enough to not be hurt again. I want to always remember that the soul is able to endure the wounds. The soul’s memories will always mark the time of the hurt and hold it for safekeeping. The soul will bear its wounds with grace, thankful that they make us the person we are meant to be.

I often ask myself the question “Who would you be without the wounds?”

Bitterness, Courage, Faith, Hope

Bitter Days

Rev Kathy

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I never had a charmed life. I have lived through bitter days, many of them. I have known sorrow, hopelessness, darkness, emptiness, loneliness, and all manner of emotional angst. But in those bitter times when I thought my world had fallen apart, I always found a fresh measure of faith, certainly enough faith to weather the storm.

It is true that I have often found myself standing alone on shifting sand. It is true that I have experienced loneliness, wondering why God had left me bereft and alone. It is true that, at times, I lost all hope. It is true that my tears fell freely and there was no one to witness my pain.

The words of Bishop Steven Charleston, once again, describe the emotions I have felt along the way.

I don’t know about you, for there are some who live charmed lives, but I have been by that lonely shore, standing alone on shifting sand, looking out to a vast dark emptiness, an ominous and unknown sea stretching out to the cloud covered edge of my world, while waves of sadness crashed around me, stinging my eyes with the salt of ancient tears. How clear and yet how distant is that memory now. Hope is not the absence of sorrow, but the release of that sorrow beside the still waters of faith. The light is right behind you. Turn to find it.

Yes, I did find renewed hope, and I did release my sorrow beside the still waters of faith. I did it many times, always finding that God’s light really was right behind me. Thanks be to God that better days always follow bitter days.

Courage, Hope, Life pathways, Risk

Pathways

Rev Kathy

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Life journeys take us through pathways of all kinds – lonely pathways, contemplative pathways, dangerous pathways, mysterious pathways. The pathways make life exhilarating and unpredictable. The pathways lead us to places we never expected to go, discovering things we never expected to discover.

The pathways make life the pleasure that it is. That is, if we ever learn to travel the pathways without fear. Unfortunately, fear makes us forgo countless pathways, and we miss so much when that happens.

Walking fearlessly requires faith and a heart that can still hope. Walking life’s pathways takes courage and persistence. The Bible gives us encouragement to move forward. “When you walk, your steps will not be impeded; And if you run, you will not stumble.” Proverbs 4:12

So let us walk on with hopeful hearts, taking the pathways before us, being delighted at every turn, fearlessly moving toward our destiny.

Courage, Dreams, God's Faithfulness

Paintings in the Sky

Rev Kathy
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Photograph by Sorina M

Sometimes nature paints the sky with brilliant color to remind us of vibrancy and energy. Often such a painting in the sky comes to us when we’re downcast. It is a gift, a grace gift sent by God to caress and comfort us. It is a thing of extraordinary beauty.

Perhaps it is a message to us to reach again for the sky and dream new dreams. It is a message that says, “Take back your energy. You are strong. You are resilient. You can get through down times.”

Life has taught me that when I fall face down in the dust, I can, and I will, get up again. I will face another day with courage and joy. I will move forward on this journey, and I will proclaim victory over whatever assails me.

I am not afraid. I am not permanently discouraged. I am simply taking the time I need to refresh myself. There are times when all of us are exhausted from acting stronger than we feel. It’s not necessary to pretend. It is healthier to own the place where we are, no matter how painful it might be at the moment.

I often recite this verse from the Bible when I need an extra burst of strength.

They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31

That scripture, along with occasional paintings in the sky, bring me renewed hope and strength for another day’s journey.

Courage, peace

Want to Be Happy? Eleven Things to Let Go Of

Rev Kathy

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Let go of toxic people in your life. They don’t have any positive impact on your soul. They spread negativity all around, and that negativity can do damage inside you.

Let go of regretting past mistakes. You cannot change the past, but you can concentrate on the future. You cannot re-do what is done, but you can learn from past mistakes and make fewer of them going forward.

Let go of the need to be right. It’s not worth the energy it takes to convince others that your viewpoint is the right one. Celebrate the peace that comes when you don’t obsess over being right.

Let go of feeling sorry for yourself. You won’t gain a thing by lamenting. Others weary of hearing your self-deprecating rants.

Let go of negative self talk. It never helps you have a positive outlook on yourself. It focuses on every little thing that might be wrong in you. It never changes you for the better.

Let go of the need to impress others. You usually can’t impress anyone anyway. Trying only wears you out and makes you bitter when no one seems impressed with you.

Let go of beliefs that limit you. Let the sky be your limit. Dream new dreams. Believe that you are worthy of happiness.

Let go of the need to please everyone. It just never happens. Some people can never be pleased. What you do is never enough for some people. Work to please the people that add joy to your life.

Let that fight go, or at least be sure that what you’re fighting for is worth the battle. Sometimes it is better to have peace than to be embroiled in continuous, unproductive warfare. Most of the time there is no clear winner

Let go of complaining. It covers you up with negative energy and doesn’t accomplish a thing. Plus, no one wants to hear it!

Let go of worrying about the future. You can’t control it. You can’t predict it. Worrying won’t affect it one way or the other. Instead, you can embrace the future with optimism and joyfulness.

Courage, Inspiration

Life Lessons

Rev Kathy

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Often we learn life lessons from unusual places. These are some of my favorite life lessons gleaned from a most unlikely source. Enjoy a dozen life lessons from Dr. Seuss.

  1. Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.
  2. You have brains in your head, you have feet in your shoes.
    You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
  3. So be sure when you step, step with care and great tact. And remember that life is a great balancing act. 
  4. Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!
  5. If you keep your eyes open enough, oh, the stuff you will learn. Go, the most wonderful stuff.
  6. Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.
  7. If things start happening, don’t worry, don’t stew, just go right along and you’ll start happening too.
  8. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And you are the one who’ll decide where to go.
  9. It is better to know how to learn than to know.
  10. Don’t give up. I believe in you all. A person’s a person no matter how small.
  11. Today you are you. That is truer than true.There is no one alive who is youer than you.
  12. Today is gone. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.

 

Courage, Family, God's Faithfulness, Grace, Home, Uncategorized

The Coming of the Dawn

Rev Kathy

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It’s a brand new morning filled with possibility. It’s also the day we leave our Little Rock home to go back home to Macon. So there is emotion involved, bittersweet feelings that remind me that we are once again leaving behind our son, our grandchildren, and a host of lifelong friends. We cannot straddle two states very well. We cannot cure the sadness of distance with FaceTime or Skype. This situation simply is what it is, and we will have to navigate the emotions of having family far from us.

I have no doubt that when night falls on us tonight in Georgia, we will feel at home and content. We will nurse a little sadness, yes. We will work with melancholy feelings for a while. But we will be in our home, our safe place and our place of rest and peace. I will be glad to see my garden and marvel at how it has grown in a week. I will be very glad for my own bed. Night will find me in my place.

Once again, Bishop Steven Charleston describes my emotions in his eloquent writing.

“It is quiet now. All the cares of this long day are drifting away. There is peace in the house, and in the garden, and over the fence into the wide world beyond, a peace that passes beneath the trees and through the fences, circling the moon in a spiral of silver light, following the night air, going into places where lonely hearts hide, searching for the wounded among us, comforting the dreams of the innocent. It is quiet now, for the love of God walks this night, as every night, gently seeking, seeking those who need love the most, as they wait, wait for the coming of the dawn.”

Missing my grandchildren, I will “need love the most.” But I know that the words are real and true: “. . . the love of God walks this night, as every night, gently seeking, seeking those who need love the most, as they wait, wait for the coming of the dawn.”

Courage, Inspiration, simple joys

What Is Holy Is Not Tame

Rev Kathy

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“So tell me, what is it that you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” – Mary Oliver

I love that question! And even at my age, I love being able to answer it. Even with a serious illness hanging over me, I have plans for my one wild and precious life. The passing years, in fact, make life even more precious. My goal for life is not only to make it precious, but to also make it wild . . . one last wild ride that takes in the magnificent world around me!

My goal is to have experiences that can be described with words similar to the words of Bishop Charleston:

I have seen the Spirit moving behind the gathering clouds, with wings the color of rainbows. I have watched the light of creation split the sky, as angels pound the drums of heaven. What is holy is not what is tame, what is divine is as wild as a desert rain. Love is not a timid breeze, but a storm of change, sweeping the comfortable before it like leaves, blowing the dust off our ordered lives, challenging us to dare the elements of our own vision. What is holy is not what is tame, so when you stand to pray, stand facing the wind.

I agree that what is holy is not tame at all. So blow through my life, refreshing breeze. Rearrange me, storm of change. I am standing facing the wind with great anticipation!

Courage, Faith, Fear, God's Faithfulness, Grace, Uncategorized

The Heart to Conquer Pain

Rev Kathy

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No way to escape hardships! It’s inevitable that life will bring us sadness, loss, grief, fear, and all manner of trial. This is a dangerous world, and danger is a part of life. This is a world where pain sometimes strikes us, and there is no way to avoid it.

I recall a terribly dark time in my life when I felt betrayed and abandoned, as if I alone had to face the troubles that had descended upon me. I felt disheartened and despondent. I felt frightened and, most of all, I felt totally alone. It was not a good feeling. It left me bereft of comfort for weeks on end. I could not change the circumstance, and I could not shake the emotional angst.

Prayer was my companion, but I would be lying if I said that prayer worked an instant miracle. Prayer was constant and so was the pain. I was not delivered from it by a prayer or a Bible passage. I simply endured the pain until it began to ease.

Was God present with me during this time? Did God hear my cries? Did God even care that I was going through the valley’s shadow?

My experience was that God was very silent. I knew God’s presence only by faith. I knew God’s compassion only by past experience. I knew I would survive only because I had survived so many difficulties in the past.

Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers but to be fearless when facing them.
Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain but for the heart to conquer it.

– Rabindranath Tagore

Courage, Faith, God's Faithfulness, Grace, Uncategorized

Remade!

Rev Kathy

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I am in awe of God’s presence in all things. It is not just that God is near us. God is also within us and beside us in every created thing. I have learned that, even in the most difficult times, God is within me. In fact, God is perhaps nearer in the hard times.

How narrow a pathway those hard times bring! There is nothing to be seen on the left or on the right. It is a feeling of being trapped in one’s own sadness, wondering if the narrow path will ever end, wondering if the world will ever open up again. It is as if I am being forced to look within myself because the path is too narrow to see anything else. The sunlight is hidden. The light of stars and moon doesn’t show itself. There are no mountains or forests or valleys or seashores. There is just the narrow tunneled path and the will and the courage to keep moving through it. And even there in that tight, restrictive space, I sense God’s presence.

I can rest on the promises of this quote by Jan Richardson from her book on reflection and prayer, In the Sanctuary of Women.

The mystics invite us to remember what we all too often forget: God is everywhere present in the world, suffusing creation with the being of God. Once in a while, if we keep our eyes open, if we look closely enough, something amid the familiar reveals itself, offers itself to us in a new way. What we know, what we have learned, is taken apart. Is remade. Remakes us.

So many times in this life, I have been remade. It’s by the grace of a loving, ever-present God.

Courage, Faith, God's Faithfulness, Hope, Inspiration, Life storms

On to the Land of Promise

Rev Kathy

 

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Richland Creek Wilderness

Have you ever wandered in a wilderness? I have certainly felt at times as if I was wandering in a wilderness . . . abandoned, confused, disoriented.

The Bible tells the story of the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness for a very long time. We find one reference to that story in Numbers 32:13.

The LORD’s anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone.

Certainly no wilderness wandering that I have experienced has been that long and grueling. Yet I do know about a personal wilderness journey. I know how lonely it feels, how forsaken. I know that it seems to go on forever with no end in sight. I know that such wilderness journeys can happen when one is ill, isolated, disheartened, grieving or simply feeling empty.

Numbers concludes with the Israelites coming to the end of the long, hard journey. They are now standing on the Plains of Moab, just across the river from the promised land. This is where Moses gives his final commission to the people. And in the next book, Deuteronomy, the end of the wandering in the wilderness becomes a reality.

Look, he has placed the land in front of you! Go up, take possession of it, just as the Lord, the God of your ancestors, said to do. Do not be afraid or discouraged!”  – Deuteronomy 1:21

And that’s the good word we need to hear. Our wandering is over. God has walked beside us through whatever wilderness we travelled. We are free to move into our own land of promise where life is no longer filled with fear and discouragement. The magic, though, is this: coming out of the wilderness is our choice. God has the land of promise ready for us. We need only to walk into it with courage and fresh hope.