Relevant.com has quickly become one of my favorite Christian news/entertainment outlets. Their stories are yes, relevant, thought-provoking and they don't steer away from the sensitive issues most Christian organizations would rather just not talk about. Sex, Homosexuality, Depression, Abuse, Faith Issues, Complacency, Hypocrisy, etc etc etc. It is there, and it is real and raw.
Hitting home today is a blog entitled "Breaking Out of Our Cages."
Most of us would say we want the kind of life that is filled with passion, novelty, faith, vibrancy, anticipation and depth. Does that describe your life? I wish it described mine. The truth is that these characteristics describe an undomesticated existence, one that requires constant risk and an ability to survive in the wild.
The wild is where God is walking. The front yard is where most of us are staying.
One of the annoying things about living in the wild is that we have no idea what is going to happen next. The word “annoying” doesn’t really describe the feeling … it’s more like exhausting. Sure it’s exciting at first. But after a while it gets really hard trying to plan a life where plans are not part of the plan. The problem is that humanity has a deep need to create some sense of stability in this chaotic universe we have been thrown in to, yet, at the same time, we have an even deeper need to surrender control to the God who threw us here.
We are at war within ourselves between control and surrender, captivity and the wild.
This is me.
I am in the wild right now . . . but its not what i thought it would be. Security for me would be career success. Security would be career movement. Security would be knowing what is next. I don't. So, for me, for yet another day, I feel like I'm in the jungle. I believe God has us to live in the wild as it pertains to trusting in him for direction and guidance. This blog states, "We were born for the jungle. We live to build our own cages."
Cages don't seem enticing, rewarding or satisfying. But I feel like in a cage, i'd at least know where I was. I would know what to plan for. I would know what was expected. I would know what to do. If the wild is where i'm supposed to be, why do I feel so lost? The wild is an adventure yes, but it is also painful and frustrating and heart-wrenching. The wild for me is simply being completely helpless. The wild for me is not understanding "the plan"....not understanding why God won't lead me somewhere...anywhere ... I am wandering in this wild jungle because I believe with my whole heart God's will is what I want. But the wild isn't always the place we romanticize about. It isn't always the rush of adventure or the thrill of the unknown. The wild is a lonely, desolate place.
