...into the wild places

And he was blown by the Spirit into the wild places. 
He was there for 40 days, long enough to know, 
tempted by what would have distracted Him from finding.
And the creatures there were wild things,
and angels were close by.
---Mark 1:12-13 (LACA)

This (very loose) poetic paraphrase of Mark's story of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness relates an episode from Jesus' life that has always fascinated me. Jesus, fully human, fully God. Both at once. The fully God part is, for my mind, much too vast to ever adequately unpack. The fully human aspect of Jesus' nature means, to me, that Jesus learned and grew, much as we ourselves do. So I wonder if, as the Holy Spirit compelled him into the desert following his baptism in the Jordan by cousin John, he thought to himself, How bizarre. What? What is it you want from me, Spirit? What shall I do? Who do I ask? How will I know? Am I enough?

Am I enough? Who of us hasn't been blown into our own wild places, forced to face the great silence, and wait with the wild things? Who of us hasn't counted off the days, 10, 15, 30, until the days were enough --- enough --- enough? Felt the rhythm of enough-ness in 40? Hasn't felt tempted by the glittery, shimmering thats lurking just off our path of finding?

Don't fear the 40 days. There is One gone before us into the wild places. And there are angels close by.