The Wilderness as a Liminal Space – Day 2

“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.” ~Luke 4:1 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage?search=Luke%204:1&version=NIV

The reading for today starts with Jesus’ baptism at the Jordan river, as Jesus rises from the water and the Holy Spirit descends upon Him. Luke tells us that once Jesus had been filled with the Spirit He is led by the Spirit into the wilderness. The wilderness is a liminal space for Jesus as He prepares for His ministry but before that happens, the devil shows up with a scheme to tempt and deceive Jesus. The scripture from Luke 4:2 tells us that for forty days Jesus was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.   Also during those forty days Jesus faced hardships of discomfort, waiting, fasting, wrestling and transformation. Jesus was in a liminal space, preparing for what comes next. Have you ever experienced liminal space? The thin line from starting something and completing something, that is liminal space. It is this in-between space that we learn the most about ourselves and our future. It is important not to get stuck in the preparation stage or even the middle stage, learning and being stuck can sometimes feel like the same thing but it is not! Being stuck is like doing something over and over expecting a different outcome (my definition). Albert Einstein called it “insanity.”

Learning is the application of changes after each trial and continuing the process towards success. The progression from developing a plan, starting a plan and completing a plan is that you are constantly moving forward. The forward motion can seem relentless especially if you’re like me and sometimes it takes several attempts to get things going and then to stay on track. Life is lived and experienced on a plethora of levels. Be brave and seek God! In many ways, this Lenten Study is a liminal space for me, I have a plan, I am working daily to achieve it and I have a vision of what the completion might look like. I would even go as far as to say, my spiritual and life journey is part of my liminal space, my in-between of earth and heaven.

Breath Prayer: Lead me Lord, transform me Lord for what comes next.
~Blessings and Peace~