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Day1 – The Wilderness

 
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prchsd



Joined: 14 Oct 2019
Posts: 5

PostPosted: Sat Dec 14, 2019 9:56 pm    Post subject: Day1 – The Wilderness Reply with quote

I have had the fortunate opportunity to live and work in two distinct desert climates. One located on the outskirts of El Paso, Texas, where we now house immigrant children inside tents and the other in Southwest Asia, Saudi Arabia, to be more specific. The one constant between both locations is that the desert is unforgiving. There are no signs, no markers pointing directions, you are wholly dependent on the land, and what it tells you. It is dry, hot, and in its own way, life-giving.
I remember the first time I lead the recon team to our desert location. All I had was a map, a compass, and the tools to lay in our field site. Having led a land navigation team during training and taught map reading in college ROTC, I thought it prepared for whatever the desert had to offer. I mistakenly thought what I learned in the lush and vegetative woods of North Carolina applied to all landscapes. How wrong I was.
Before I headed to the point of departure, I did a map recon, plotting points, drawing azimuths, navigating around no-go terrain, and calculating distances between what I thought were breaks in the terrain. My team and I loaded up and waited for the start time, and off we went. It only took a few kilometers for me to determine what I plotted on the map did not coincide with what I saw on the ground. The constant shifting of the sand reconfigures the desert floor and therefore requires a different way of navigating, a skill I did not have. So, there I was lost in the desert with my soldiers watching — what a humbling moment.
I quickly learned that the desert is an unassuming teacher. On that day, it taught me that I was too confident and too self-sufficient. In other words, I was too dependent on the wrong thing. It was a moment of awakening, not only professionally, but spiritually as well. As a young leader, this moment helped me to see the usefulness of others who had gone before. I was not the first person to navigate this area. However, I consulted no one before launching into the deep. Nevertheless, being dropped in the deep end has a way of forcing you to cry for help. As I wandered through the desert, trying to find my way, I prayed…A Lot! Today, I am still grateful that God heard the prayers of a foolish child. My relationship with God exists similarly. When I get too far ahead of God, relying on the gifts and talents instead of the giver of the gifts and talents, God uses any means necessary to remind me I am to follow.
The good news was when I traveled to Saudi Arabia, and I did not make the same mistakes. After years of traversing the desert in El Paso, I arrived in Saudi with a healthy respect for the desert landscape. So, much so, I viewed the vast Arabian desert floor as one of God’s magnificent wonders. During the evenings, as I did my night checks, I had a favorite spot where I sat and listened to the God of the desert. I marveled as I watched Bedouin families move about existing as naturally as I did. In the morning, I’d greet the marvelous sunrise as it kissed the sand welcoming the day. There was not a better sight to see. It was during moments such as these while sitting in the vastness of the desert that I understood how small I was and how big God is. Moments such as these also caused me to reflect on the creativity of God. Who, with as little as a puff of wind, could shift the landscape of everything before me. Lastly, in moments like these, I understood why I needed and depended on God.
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