If you’ve been through a breaking-down season, you will know that ‘rock bottom’ can be a lonely and exposing place. When we are driven out to the metaphorical desert, through no fault or power of our own, we are most often faced with three questions. Who am I? Who is God? What is my place in the world? The systems/idols/principalities that gave us the illusion of affirmation, power and security allude us – leaving us feel vulnerable and exposed in the desert wind.
Welcome to liminality on a global scale. COVID has driven the world into a desert season. A place of vulnerability, revealing and exposure. A place where we must face our demons. A place where we discover our shadow side. The greatest environment for transformation you will ever find.
A couple of conversations this morning has me considering that much of the modern West, in particular America (it seems), has been forced to face the proverbial cancer of racism that has been eating away at its core. As a simple illustration, think of it like the business owner too busy to visit the doctor about the pains he’s had in his left shoulder for a few years. One day, he’s forced out of business by a disastrous flood. He finally visits the doctor about his shoulder pain, only to find a cancerous tumor that would have claimed his life had he not lost his business and been forced to pay attention. The news is not welcome. He may feel embarrassed. The operation is lengthy and risky and he may even lose an arm. He can’t go back to business in the same way – but the operation must take place if he wants to live. His family are grateful and he learns to pay attention to his life-style and the things that really matter… those that matter… lives that matter.
~Dave
image: kcottrell