Have you ever been physically hurt by someone? One summer I was knocked flying from my bike by a ‘careless’ driver and it took me a long time to recover from the injuries.

And have you ever been emotionally hurt by someone? I said ‘careless driver’ because, having already physically hurt me, when I asked him afterwards for his insurance details, he sent them through with a message not to contact him again. He had no interest in my well-being beyond the accident. That hurt too.

But this is just one anonymous driver…

Easter 

As we near Easter, and I reflect on Jesus’ journey into the wilderness and towards the cross, I am struck by this:

If I, with all my failings, can be so physically and emotionally hurt by the people around me, what must it have been like for Him? I believe he led a flawless life, dedicated to healing the sick (physically, emotionally and spiritually). But he was rewarded by betrayal, unfair trials, a whipping and a crucifixion.

Arguably the most painful physical hurt ever – to be crucified. And arguably the most painful emotional hurt ever – to be betrayed and denied by your best friends.

Although what remains a profound mystery is that………. Christ was closer to God afterwards. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied (Isaiah 53:11)

A walk in the wilderness

When I reflect on this, when I reflect on what I believe about Christ and His journey, my own physical and emotional hurts pale into insignificance when compared to the joyful surprise of being drawn into a deeper understanding of Christ – of the greatest person that ever lived (and one some would call God).

Perhaps then, the things that first appear to be bad for us can often turn out to have a deeply healing effect on us; and the things that superficially seem to be good for us can often turn out damaging.

During Lent 2012 I aimed to make some good choices, to avoid ‘the things that superficially seemed to be good’ for me.

I chose no chocolate.

And to elect ‘the things that first appeared to be bad’ for me.

I chose the walk in the wilderness.

Meaning

This had an interesting effect on my conversations during subsequent chance meetings in my daily routine (often a positive side effect of being part of Fulbourn’s wonderful dog-walking community).

Interactions in these chance meetings ranged from genuine concern for my physical well-being (very much appreciated!) to nervous glances from the other side of the path, tacitly seeming to say, in response to my praise of the ‘wilderness’, “it must be menopause or some weird religious thing” (both of which I very much understand!).

For me, far from being weird, solitude in the ‘wilderness’ can be wonder-full. There is so little time in the busy 21^st century for solitude to ponder the meaning of life. By using the time in the ‘wilderness’ to think, to pray and to read edifying literature (a welcome balance to the stream of negative news in the media), I can re-fuel and re-centre my life on those things which matter to me.

I hope and pray that for you this Easter, you find time in the business to reflect on Jesus’ journey, and what it means for you.