A Man Cut:      Before I get to this week’s story, I need to put things in context and explain the title.  A few years ago, there was a rather hilarious video that was circulating on social media.  It was entitled, “The Man Cold vs. the Mom Cold.”  In this video, which was once featured on the Today Show, a mom is talking to her husband who thinks he’s dying because of a common cold.  He’s in bed, covered with blankets, and looking for all kinds of attention as well as orange juice, chicken soup, etc.  The mom, who apparently has the same cold, is up doing laundry, taking care of the kids, and basically going on with the daily tasks of life.  The premise of the whole video is that men deal with colds differently than women do.  Well, this isn’t a story about a “man cold,” but a “man cut” but with the same underlying premise that men deal with cuts differently than women do.
 
It was a chaotic day around the Parish Center.  I had already swiped a few pieces of chocolate from the Front Desk chocolate dish and decided I needed some chips or crackers to “round out” the meal.  I’m a grazer and can graze all day.  So, I went back to the kitchen and decided to open a bag of Trader Joe crackers that were sitting there.  I tried opening the bag with my hands but had no luck.  I thought about tearing it open with my teeth, but then if someone caught me, I figured I’d get yelled at.  So, I took out a knife and decided to cut it open.  Well … the knife and my left index finger met.  I knew better, but the damage was done.  I now had an inch-long deep gash in my finger that was bleeding a bit more than normal.  I tried wrapping it in paper towels, but it kept bleeding.  The cut was pretty deep.  As I stood at the kitchen sink with my blood-soaked paper towels, I was contemplating whether I should run over to urgent care to see if it needed stitches.  I had a busy day ahead of me, and even though I didn’t have a ton of time, I thought I should get it looked at.  As I stood there, an employee walked in to grab a cup of coffee.  Let’s just say for the sake of this article, her name sounds something like Tina.  As I was standing there somewhat paralyzed trying to figure out what to do, Tina went about making her 4 oz cup of coffee.  “What’s wrong,” she asked.  I thought it was rather obvious with all the blood-soaked paper-towels, but I played the game.  “I just cut myself trying to open that bag of Trader Joe crackers.”  Without batting an eye, or even being worried about my bloody finger, she grabbed the bag of crackers and said, “Oh, this is how I open them.”  She then proceeded to tear the bag open with her teeth.  “See, they’re open.”  She then turned around and poured a bit of cream into her coffee.  “Yea, I was wondering if I should run up to urgent care to see if I needed to get this stitched.  It’s pretty deep, and, as you can see, it won’t stop bleeding.”  As she stirred her coffee and cream, she let out a sigh and, without even looking at me, said, “OH. COME. ON.  I have hypochondriacs in my family too.  Just put a bandage on it really tight.  It will stop bleeding and heal up.  You won’t die.”  She then left me in the dust as she quickly took her cup of coffee and left the kitchen.  “Wait a minute,” I thought to myself.  “I’m bleeding out, and no one is going to know about it.  What about the cut?  What if it doesn’t heal?”  So, I went and found a band-aid and wrapped it tightly on my finger.  Eventually, it stopped bleeding.  Later in the day, I stopped by Tina’s office to give her an update.  “Well, the tight band-aid trick worked.  It’s not bleeding anymore.  But we may have to amputate my finger because the band-aid is so tight that I’ve now lost all feeling at the very top of my finger.”  Tina just rolled her eyes!
 
Led into the Desert:  Ever year, as I reflect on this weekend’s Gospel, I’m always struck by one line: “Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert ….”  Just as the Spirit LED Jesus into the desert, we too find ourselves being led into our own deserts probably more often than we wish.  It is here we are called to face our temptations and strive to turn our lives and hearts more completely to God.  And, just as much as Jesus emerged from the 40 days in the desert and went and proclaimed the Gospel in Galilee, we too are called to emerge from the desert as Easter people ready and willing to proclaim the Gospel to all we meet on our journey.
 
While many of us have never been in a desert and don’t comprehend the harsh environment it entails, we know that if you remain still, your chances of survival are minimal.  In order to survive, you must traverse the desert.
 
During this Lenten season, we enter our own desert(s).  Sometimes the deserts we face are frightening and overwhelming, like dealing with a terminal illness or helping a spouse or parent with Alzheimer’s.  Some deserts might be the fear of losing a job or health care.  Some deserts might be the reality that a college education for our child may no longer be a reality because of finances.  Some deserts might be the same as those in years past; it might be the desert of addiction or sinful behavior.  Whatever the desert, we are called to traverse it with God’s help and emerge from it as risen people!
 
Too often in the deserts of our lives, we lose sight of the “promised land” or the oasis we seek.  Sometimes, we even forget that God NEVER leaves us orphaned or abandoned.  We need to realize that God is present in the midst of our desert experiences and that it is only with his help that we get the courage and strength to keep moving toward better land.
 
Yes, we may have been led into a desert we didn’t expect.  We may wonder why we were led down this road.  Lent is about facing the deserts of our lives.  It is not about asking the question WHY but rather HOW this desert experience might be calling us to conversion and repentance.  Lent is about doing something to traverse the desert in order to emerge as changed people.
 
The question remains then what helps us traverse the desert.  First, we must realize that the Spirit is present, and much like with Jesus, angels are present to minister to us.  Second, we need to orient our hearts and minds toward God.  You need a strong compass/GPS, and you need to keep focused.  You need to know where you are going.  Without a compass or focus, you can wander aimlessly for a long time.  If you want to go someplace, if you truly want to emerge from your desert, you need the proper tools.  For Christians, the ultimate tool is a relationship with God.  Without that relationship, without that prayer, without that compass we may never find our oasis.  Prayer then becomes our GPS to help us get out of the deserts of our lives.
 
Happy Lent.  Know of my prayers.
 
In Christ,
 
gmb