Lessons from the desert

I think in the past month I have learned more from the desert, than books could ever teach me. I've stood on the tops of mountains, and walked in the depths of valleys. I've experienced a place where men can walk in the paths of Gods. I see men and women who have given everything to see the beautiful city of Jerusalem, nestled in the heart of the Judaean Hills, and I revere their devotion. Theirs is a journey similar to that of Jesus, a carpenter's son, who took 40 days to seclude himself in the wilderness in divine introspection.

I find beauty in the wilderness because it is untouched by man, it's a place where I can find my creator and have a personal dialogue with him. What many would consider bereft of life, I find to be the source of mine. Where few dare to venture, I find to be a source of personal strength. I have stood upon the stones where the Savior stood, and knelt in places where in surely he must have supplicated to an almighty hand to aid him in the deliverance of those who would not hear.

A howling wind through archaic valleys overshadowed by ancient structures fill my personal holy land. In a thriving city of millions I can feel unrestricted access to perfect seclusion. Like the savior I find myself in a time of preparation, where daunting and difficult times lay ahead, and where the stresses of life become too much to bear. And so I resign to my desert, and I peruse the words of prophets, as I sit at their roadsides. As I pray at wells, long dry after thousands of years, I seek sources of living water. And I find it, day, after day, after day. In a land of political mercilessness, I find harmony and forgiveness. Over the period of four months, I can find my 40 days.