On Wandering

For the upcoming weeks, our community of faith will be wandering in the wilderness with the Israelites as we near Advent season. I am terrible with directions. So bad in fact that when I first started driving, I was instructed to check in when I left somewhere and when I arrived somewhere.

Since I started driving, I was used to getting lost and wandering around for a bit before I found my way. Most of the time, it wasn’t something that was stressful to me. It was a way of noticing the world and also a challenge to try to find my way. There’s something about not knowing where you are that makes you grateful for the people who are around you. You begin to wonder whether they will be the kind of people who can help you or not. You begin to wonder which person looks the most approachable and the most knowledgeable.

Nowadays, I get lost a lot less with apps and maps to guide me, I wander much less. Sometimes I miss those days of wandering and longing, wondering if I would ever be called to pastor a church, wondering if we would ever have children, wondering what my life would be like in five years or ten years, wondering what I would be when I grew up.

Wandering is a call to remember that we are not in control, a reminder that we are dependent on God and that we are walking this journey together. Maybe next time I head somewhere new, I’ll turn off the apps and maps and just wander for a bit.