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You’re Safe In The Desert
Wes Schaeffer
August 15, 2017
From today’s reading…
The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God.”
When things get tough or dangerous or stressful for Moses, Elijah, Mary, Jesus, etc., why do we see them retreat to the desert?
Why don’t they head to the resort and get a massage or a facial? Why don’t they head to the timeshare on the beach and have a frozen margarita or seven? Why don’t they go to Disneyworld and pig out on turkey legs and Mickey Mouse candied apples?
Because even 2,000 and 3,000 and 4,000 years ago there were too many distractions in life.
The ultimate solace in life is found in silence.
But we don’t do silence well.
350 years ago Blaise Pascal summed it up nicely:
All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”
Instead of turning to the Face Book for “the answer,” turn inward and upward in silence.
The collective genius (groupthink?) of the social media world will be impatiently awaiting your return so what have you got to lose?
Find / create your own desert if you need to and visit it often.
Maybe it’s the lake or the ocean or your backyard or the little forest behind your home. Maybe it’s a quiet church that is open and unoccupied during the day or early evening. Maybe it’s your garage on a folding chair. Maybe it’s the library.
Whatever it is, get there and get there often. You’ll find the path you need to follow if you give yourself the gift of silence.
Stay the course. Keep the faith. Endure.