When People Bring the Wilderness

While running errands around town recently, I turned to my 10-year-old and spoke words I never thought I’d say:

“Child, I don’t want to hear any more about your problems.”

I wasn’t being inconsiderate or cold-hearted, but I was being realistic. One of my youth from church was in the seat next to me and thought the moment was hysterical and incredibly unexpected. She brings it up every time we see one another. Why? Because she knows I love my kids. I even love helping them sort through life and friendship and decisions. I do not, on the other hand, love drama, and sometimes we have to put a stop to drama where it tries to enter our lives. Drama feeds on attention, especially of the negative variety. This particular child of mine wasn’t treating people nicely at school, being a light to the world, or speaking truth in love; she was getting wrapped up in what made her look good in front of other people. Because I’m a mom, I was pulled into these issues with various phone calls and conversations and disciplines. Her drama was quickly becoming my drama and I had had enough.

We all have our moments now, don’t we? My child had hers and she’s recovered to being her kind and thoughtful self. I had mine and I don’t really regret it. I spoke the truth in love and kept my boundaries.

What happens when other people bring their drama into our lives? Sometimes we can control it, or a portion of it – put more boundaries or margins in place, ask for and give forgiveness, or state our needs in kindness with clarity. However, sometimes in life, God will allow other people’s drama so close and so tight in our lives that we feel like we’re going to suffocate for lack of clean, drama-free air. These issues and relationships can bring us into a season of wilderness where we wrestle and grapple for the trail. We may end up wondering where God is leading us, how He would have us handle this moment, these relationships.

Sometimes, we create the wildernesses of our lives; other times, people create them for us.

Joseph knew about wildernesses of other people’s making. In Genesis 37, we are introduced to family dynamics at some of their worst.

Joseph (who, just like the rest of us, has his own issues and chooses this particular day to tell his brothers all his dreams about how awesome he is) ends up looking at the sky from an ugly pit, fearing for his life, saved from murder by one closer-to-reason brother out of 10 or so. His brothers were so angry with him, had such distaste for him and his perspective, that they threw him into a pit, people. A pit.

Have you ever felt like someone else’s actions placed you in a pit?

I can only imagine Joseph’s thoughts and worries in that pit. Was he angry? Was he plotting revenge? Did he heave tears and sobs? Did he pray? We don’t know. We only know that his brothers took their issues, their anger, their selfishness and put them off onto Joseph’s life, and he had to deal with the pain and the hurt.

His brothers ended up lifting him out of the pit and selling him into slavery instead. Joseph had to walk a road he never expected, in chains, to a land he did not know.

Have you ever felt like someone else placed their chains on you, their weight onto your life?

God had a plan for Joseph. He worked it out. In Genesis 43-45, we see reconciliation and the full power of God’s ability to bring good from evil take place before our eyes. Sometimes, though, we don’t get that. Sometimes, we have no answers for what the road will look like up ahead or what turn to take next.

There is good news though on every road:

When people bring the wilderness, God brings the Light.

God is Light from above streaming in the pit. He is Light in our hearts when others bring darkness. God’s ability to bring good from evil does not mean in any way, shape, or form that He accepts evil. God hates it just as much as we do — even more so, because His capacity to love is so much greater than ours.

He sees your pit. He sees your wilderness. 

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5

The Light of the World touches every bit of drama in our lives and we can invite Him in further.

Lord, I know You want to hear about my problems. You, my God, are with me. Help me overcome this struggle. Shine light where there was none and, and if You so choose, may that light be through me. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.  

God brings the Light in the darkest pit and the deepest drama.

Up Next : All Roads Lead to Jesus

In the Meantime: Watch the video for this week’s study - A Bend in the Road