Navigating the wilderness as leaders

The metaphor of ‘wilderness’ is both powerful and personal. It effectively describes a
barren and challenging topographical landscape which mirrors an inner reality during
seasons of loss, confusion or uncertainty. Biblically speaking, the wilderness is a
geographical location that features regularly in both Old and New Testaments, but its
key archetypal historical narrative is found in Exodus where God’s people, having
been freed from slavery in Egypt, encountered his presence in the wilderness where
they were formed as his covenant people. Furthermore, the theological concept of
wilderness reminds us of a deeper eschatological hope; we live in the now and not
yet of the Kingdom of God, and in a sense, we are all wandering in the wilderness
until the Lord of all establishes fully the promised land of eternity.

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All this to say, the metaphor and material of ‘wilderness’ provides helpful and rich
vocabulary for us as leaders. Partly to enable us to walk alongside those who are
experiencing loss, transition or pain, but partly for us as we navigate our own
disappointments and challenges. In analysing the journals of leaders who
experienced acute ‘wilderness seasons’ for some recent academic research, I was
impacted again at the depth of anguish that is often felt in the life of a leader, and at
how much they and their loved ones often carry unseen. Unsurprisingly, the women
interviewed carried considerable relational complexity and found the experience of
isolation particularly difficult.

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But there is hope! Just as God was encountered in the wilderness in biblical texts, so
he is today. It is truly a place of being lost but also being found again. It is a place
where we experience the stripping away of things that may be part of our identity and
reality as leaders, and where we relinquish control and our carefully made plans. But
then it becomes a place of refocus, restoration and reorientation. It is where we
rediscover our foundations, our true identity, our values and who and what we really
need. Most profoundly, we discover again that God’s grace is indeed enough, and
his manna will arrive daily for us. Our Heavenly Father does not just love us when
we are able to live a hustling, bustling, busy and productive existence. He just loves
us.

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Fortunately, times of wilderness do not last forever and nor are they wasted. Just as
the Desert Mothers and Fathers once chose the wilderness as a place where you go
to grow, if we allow the Spirit to do his work, we will also not just go through it but
grow through it. We do not leave unchanged. Leadership (and life!) can be hard, and
as women we carry a myriad of responsibilities and relationships along the way.
While none of us would welcome life’s challenges, and times of wilderness can be
bewildering and hard to navigate, the correlating truth remains that God invites us to
encounter his faithfulness in profound ways, even and perhaps especially in the
wilderness.

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Cathy Madavan
Speaker, writer, coach and author of Why Less Means More – making space for what matters most. She is a speaker and author from the UK. She works with Care for the Family and is on the organising team of Spring Harvest. She is a Board member of Kyria network.