Wilderness.. Woman vs. Wild

wil·der·ness (wldr-ns)
n.1. An unsettled, uncultivated region left in its natural condition, especially:
a. A large wild tract of land covered with dense vegetation or forests.
b. An extensive area, such as a desert or ocean, that is barren or empty; a waste.
c. A piece of land set aside to grow wild.
2. Something characterized by bewildering vastness, perilousness, or unchecked profusion

Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. -Matthew 4:1

The List goes on. While I am waiting for my heart to heal from a horrible breakup. I am also waiting and waiting for a job offer during a long season of unemployment, I keep finding closed doors at every turn.. To describe the months that I am undergoing, a "wilderness" is putting it mildly. In this time of intense pain and spiritual confusion. I find myself turning to the guidebook for wilderness survival, the Bible, and discovered a life-changing truth.

Joseph... Joseph was dumped into a pit in the middle of a wilderness. This is truly a wilderness of rejection if there has ever been one. His own family-flesh and blood-have rejected, forsaken, and abandoned him. This is putting it mildy, they despised him so much they wanted him dead... I wonder what Joseph was thinking as he was hoisted over their shoulders and thrown into the bottom of the pit. Did he hope it was a prank and that it would end soon? Did he scream for release? Or did he sulk and suffer his shame and humiliation in silence? Did he cry, or did his pride step in and deny his brothers the pleasure of his tears? Did he threaten to tell their father? Did he pray? Did Joseph ask God, "why is this happening to me?" The bible tells us that once the caravan arrives in Egypt Joseph's brothers sell him to a man name Potipher who is one of pharoh's officials. Here in Potipher's house Joseph's character shines brightly for all to see, and the plan of God in this wilderness experience begins to be revealed: "As it turned out, God was with Joseph and things went very well with him. He ended up living in the home of his Egyptian master. His master recognized that God was with him, saw that God was working for good in everything he did. He became very fond of Joseph and made him his personal aide. He put him in charge of all his personal affairs, turning everything over to him." (Gen. 39:2-4)

God was with Joseph. Often in the wilderness of rejection we are tempted to believe the lie that God has rejected us too. He Hasn't. If you are a child of God, His love is always for you and He says: I have chosen you and have not rejected you. So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:9b-10)
As I walk through my wilderness of rejection, many times Satan has tempted me to believe that God has abandoned me too- moments in which the pain is so intense that I feel forsaken. Yet, in my darkest of hours I know that God is indeed with me. I feel His strength when I continually faced rejection of jobs. I feel His comfort when it seems no one else quite knows how to heal my hurt.
I think that if Joseph were to sit down with you and me for a cup of coffee and chat about our heartbreaks, career upsets, and the ups and downs of life, Joseph would look at us and simply say "Girls, what looks like rejection is God's protection." Do you see it? His Brothers intended harm,evil, and rejection, but God used it for good.

Joseph is an example of another way in which God reveals the mystery of His ways. Joseph spent most of his life not knowing why God had allowed his brothers to sell him into slavery, why he had allowed him to be brought to a foreign land, why he had allowed him to be falsely accused and thrown into prison. From behind bars, it must have seemed so unjust. But from the summit of understanding that God later granted him, it all made perfect sense. It was there he learned the seemingy meandering ways of God weren't simply leading to the shaping of his character but also to the saving of his family ( a lineage that lead to Christ), preserving them through the seven years of famine and prospering them for generations to come.

So repeat after me: What seems like rejection is really God's protection.

Man vs. Wild Survival Instinct number 1: When lost in the wild, (wilderness), find the highest point of elevation near you and climb to the top of it. Why? To gain perspective on your location.

Perspective is extremely important in wilderness survival. Perspective proves crucial whether lost in the Sierra Nevada or in a wilderness of rejection. As a daughter of the most High and follower of Jesus Christ, whenever we face a circumstance that seems like rejection, we need to take a hike up a little mountain (actually its quite massive, a Summit that I call God's Soverignty)and look at the situation from the vantage point.

To say that God is soverign means He rules and reigns over His creation- to know He is actively working and involved in your life and causing the circumsances to work for a purpose. Translation: God isn't sitting up in heaven saying "Oops, I really dropped the ball on that one." So when the sting of rejection hits, we can say, "This circumstance was filtered through the soverign hands of my God." We have this promise from God's word. "God causes all things to work together for the good of those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)

When Rejection hit my heart like a bomb, I couldn't fathom the incredible purpose God had in allowing it to happen. My vision- being small, limited, and shortsighted-only saw my heart bleeding. But, God see's my destiny. He saw His purpose for my life unfolding and how a broken heart would propel me to begin a ministry to reach women for Jesus Christ. He knows that His plan is better than my plan. I could never see it from my vintage point of pain. But looking on the summit of understanding and mountain top of God's soverignty today.. I CAN SEE!