What desert are we wandering in?

I recently showed my toddler the Veggietales, “Josh and the Big Wall.” It’s a great children’s version of Joshua leading the Israelites out of the desert and into the promised land after their 40 years of wandering. As a kid, it was always one of my favorite episodes. The Israelites hop around Jericho and get attacked with blue slushees! They sing silly songs! It’s a fun show!   (You can watch it here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glZZR7a5XJ4 )

As an adult, even a childish depiction of this Bible story strikes a different chord. Why did the Israelites spend 40 years wandering the desert? God had delivered them from Egypt. They had followed His pillar of fire. He had parted the Red Sea. They were free of their slavery. He had shown them His awesome power. Why could they not take the steps into His beautiful promised land?

We are comfortable in discomfort:

People run to what we are familiar with. How often have you known someone who wasn’t happy where they lived, where they worked, or who they were dating? Yet, how hard do we find it to leave those situations? To change college majors, jobs, apartments, or church locations? Why is it difficult to walk away from harmful or unhappy friendships and relationships? At a certain point, we want what we’re familiar with. Even if it makes us miserable.

Follow me:

Jesus called fisherman, tax collectors, and Zealots to follow Him. He told them to abandon their ideas of their old lives and embrace the new one He was showing them.

We are not meant to stay the same. Saints were not promised comfort. Christ does not show us familiarity, but He leads us to fulfillment.

What desert are we wandering in? What discomfort must we leave behind to follow Him?