On this third Sunday of Lent, Eric Robinson roots us in a spirituality of the wilderness. Eric reminds us of how anxiety spreads through systems and communities to scapegoat either one of the most powerful people in the group or the least powerful. He encourages us to resist the temptation to emotionally fuse with anxiety or to cut ourselves off, but to instead self-differentiate. We are encouraged to look at the Triune God and imitate being separate-together.

Belonging in the Wilderness lays bare the tension between our vulnerable humanity… our desire to simply be, without hustling for worthiness or trying to fit in… and our longing for Beloved Community with our friends, family, neighbors, enemies, creation, and our Creator. The wilderness is an unavoidable part of this journey. It is where we abandon the game of dressing up like our mythical heroes and begin to uncover the mystery of our one wild and true self. A life so rooted in Divine Love, we find ourselves simultaneously set apart and intimately connected to God’s global family. We rarely choose to go to the wilderness, where all our distractions and pretense evaporate. Yet the wilderness invites us to live together for what really matters, because here there is energy for little else. There are no shortcuts in the wilderness. It is a solitary journey, which we cannot walk alone.

Reflection Questions:

What is a triangle you see in your own life?
Where might God be inviting you to more self-differentiation?
How might you be involved in changing societal systems that are triangulating?

Belonging in the Wilderness: Called to the Wilderness