(Hi Friends! Because I am severely jet-lagged, I am revising a “Day 5” from the very first Lenten series I did in 2012. Thank you for grace!) 

Sometimes we watch cartoons in church.  =)

One Sunday during Lent, we watched “40 – A Video of Jesus in the Wilderness”. It depicts Jesus during his 40-day wilderness experience directly following his baptism and before the beginning of his ministry.

This short film challenged me to think more deeply about just how long those 40 days of fasting were. In the dessert.  Alone (except for wild animals.)  No food. No water. No one to talk to. Even if Jesus would have had companions, there’s no way they could have related to what he was going through. He was figuratively and quite literally…….alone.

40 sunrises.

40 sunsets.

Lots of praying.  Lots of struggling.  Lots of hunger.  Lots of temptation.  Lots of doubt.  Lots of lonliness.

Lots of……wilderness.

Whatever lessons that were learned out there in the desert certainly did not come easily.  They came with struggle, and pain, and hard work.  So I have to ask myself this:  why in the world would I assume my lessons would come any differently?

This Lenten journey has come at a time in my life when I am yearning for a deeper understanding of God’s Word, God’s Love, God’s Plan….  Somehow I don’t think the answers are going to come quickly or easily.  I have a feeling they are going to come with a bit of a struggle.  There may be some hunger, some temptation, some lonliness….

Though Jesus didn’t have company out there in the wilderness, he was never actually alone.

God was there.  Always.  And God is here.  Always.

So let’s be brave and decide to trust God’s constant presence to keep us and to teach us through these days of wandering. We’ll do it together. =)

Love,

Shellie ♥

40 – A Video of Jesus in the Wilderness