ADAM AND EVE were born in a garden. It was full of greens, yellows, orange, vibrant reds, brown and all the colors imaginable! The smells were fragrant and eatables, there for the taking. God was there! One tree was not to be touched! Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat from that tree, and they were not even to touch it. But, they did! And their trek thru the wilderness, began. They were to tend the earth, plant their own foods, and eat what was planted. Their desert life was void of the beautiful surroundings that God had given in the beginning. God did not walk with them there! God saw what was happening but He didn’t interfere.
I SUPPOSE you could say all of us were born in the wilderness! My life in the wilderness began meagerly. I remember my brother Lloyd, who took care of us little ones. He would make stuff out of tomatoes; mustard sandwiches, potatoes this and potatoes that! I never slept alone until I moved into an apartment with my older sister Jean, at the age of 19 or 20. Most of the time there were three of us in a bed. I didn’t mind, they kept me warm! Did you wear hand me downs? I still like thrift stores and hand me downs!
WHAT WAS your wilderness like? Did you have a Mom and Dad? Did you have siblings to share everything with? Or did your wilderness come with many advantages. Did you get new shoes several times a year? Were your clothes always store bought? Did you always have a dime to go the movies? Even if you did, you were still in the wilderness!
IN GRADE SCHOOL, a friend of mine was taking Catechism. When she was 12 she completed her schooling, and the Catholic Church had a Confirmation. She asked me to come! I sat in the very back and watched! I understood nothing! Everything was so different from what my church did! After it was all over I had lots of questions. She answered the best she could and I said; “I don’t think I could ever become a Catholic, because I could never learn all that stuff you had to learn to become one. I told her, “at my church, I just confessed that Jesus was the Christ the Son of the living God, and was baptized. “ For years I thought my religion was easier than being a Catholic. I was still living in the wilderness!
TO MY AMAZEMENT, when I began to know Jesus thru His Word, I discovered that following God’s Word was not easy. As a matter of fact, while living in the world, it was hard! At one point, I thought perhaps being a Catholic would have been easier. However, at my baptism I received the greatest gift. I received the Holy Spirit. As I grew closer to Jesus I discovered that life was easier, happier, more peaceful. That was when I had left the wilderness for the Kingdom! That was when I decided to put Christ first in my life!
“SEEK YE first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you!” Matthew 6:33 The things that were to be added, are all the necessary things we need. Things like; what we would eat, drink, wear, and how to live. Everything we needed to serve the Lord with. If we allow God, he will even give us a mate for a life time. He did me!
TO BE A Christian (a Christ one), His kingdom should be our first concern. He requires faith, love and holy living from us. We leave the wilderness when we put Him first in our lives.
Everything else must be second. When we love Him first, we have plenty of room for loving, our family, friends and His church. Jesus said; “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30 This is the greatest and most important of the commandments. This sums up our obligation to God. One who loves God will not rebel against Him. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for 40 years because of their rebellious nature. They loved God, but they refused to follow. It was too hard for them! With Jesus and the Holy Spirit, all things are possible! Jane Ann Crenshaw 7/7/16
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