At once the Spirit forced Jesus out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among the wild animals, and the angels took care of him. (Mark 1:12-13 CEB)
Growing up I loved to read wilderness survival and adventure books. My favorites were My Side of the Mountain, a 1959 book by Jean Craighead George about a boy and his falcon surviving in the Catskill Mountains, and Hatchet, a 1986 book by Gary Paulson about a boy and, well, his hatchet he uses to survive in a Canadian wilderness after a plane crash. In both stories the wilderness is an opponent to be struggled against and a teacher to learn from. The characters gain independence, new capabilities, and ultimately discover more about who they are by being in the wild.
These days, traveling out of cell phone range can feel unsettling, plus I’ve learned I’m not a big fan of precipices, canyons, bridges, ledges, or any high place (sorry, Alex Honnold, but Free Solo is akin to a horror movie for me). Nevertheless, I still like to get out and hike a rocky trail, sink my toes in the grass, or just feel the cold rain on my neck. The wilderness is an opponent and a teacher. Sometimes I feel beaten by it, but often it teaches us me who I am and what I am capable of doing.
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