Survival Mode by Clint

One of the hardest parts about faith is the times when you may feel distanced from God. Those times are difficult for many reasons, but much of the problem is that they seem to happen at random. For a few weeks, everything is seemingly fine, and then you realize one day that you feel far from God. And even more troubling, that feeling can creep up on you and become part of the everyday routine. It can happen to church-goers, seminary students, pastors, and faithful devotees. It certainly happens when you stop putting work into your discipleship, but it can also happen when it seems as though you are faithfully seeking after God.

A helpful way to look at these times is to see them as “wilderness times.” I know the imagery of wilderness is pretty broad, and it can bring thoughts of the Alaskan Tundra, the rain forests of South America, or the deserts of Africa. That’s one of the reasons I love the show “Man vs. Wild.” First off, the guy’s name is Bear Grylls (pronounced Grillz). To have that name, you have to either be a rapper with gold teeth or just hard-core in general. Bear is hard-core in general. He served around 20 years in the British Special Forces and knows just about everything regarding nature. But getting back to my point, he is dropped off by helicopter into wildernesses of all types. They drop him into jungles, mountain ranges, even Hawaii volcanic terrain. No matter where they drop off our friend, Bear, he knows how to stay alive. He uses his head, his skills, and his passion and heart to fight through all circumstances. The dude killed a rabbit from 20 yards away and drank water squeezed from elephant dung (almost as bad as Waco-water…you Baylor students/alumni know what I’m talking about). His whole focus is to get out of the wilderness he is in and get back to civilization. Something I’ve noticed about his survival mode is that he never panics. When they drop him off, he never goes sprinting off in a hurry. He gathers himself and starts to make his way in the right direction. A lot of times, he spends a night or two out where he is. He proceeds with his wits about him, not making his situation any worse.

When you find yourself in a wilderness time, recognize where you are and what your situation is. Don’t panic and have a faith crisis. Don’t start closing in on yourself, making survival less likely. Don’t fabricate a false spiritual health that tricks you into thinking everything is perfect. Work through the place you are in. Share your troubles with those that you trust. Take your time and use your head and heart to get back to a place where you feel like your discipleship is on track. And don’t feel guilty about being in a faith wilderness. Mother Theresa experienced wilderness. And guess what… Jesus experienced wilderness. Right after John the Baptist baptizes him, Jesus goes into the wilderness alone (Mtthw 4; Mk 1; Lk 4). During this time, Satan comes and tempts him away from God’s will. Jesus holds to teachings of Scripture and his devotion to God’s will.

When you are in wilderness, don’t use that as an excuse to slip into lifestyles and actions that further you from God. Don’t be bitter. Resist letting your heart harden. When Bear is dropped off into wilderness of all different sorts, he uses all of himself to get out of there. When Jesus was sent into a wilderness, he used all his strength to continue to honor God. God desires that we love him with all our heart, soul, and strength (Deut. 6:5, Mark 12:29). Let that be the case even when you find yourself with wilderness all around.