Will You Walk With Me In the WilderMess?

As I journaled this morning - I was overwhelmed by what we’re facing - the multiple tasks, transitions, and redirections at hand. Mostly because I don’t want to slow down just as things are gaining momentum for WHS. I don’t want to give up my studio and my office space.

It’s not fair.

"I want things to be less hard but still be more holy!" I shout in my head as I sit pondering and processing - when I "should" be producing. 

None of it is “fair.” It’s not necessarily anyone’s “fault” either. It is what it is. We’ve tried our best … and leaving God to do the rest isn’t how I’d hoped He’d do it, honestly.

Continuing to force WHS to continue on this pathway COULD work, but it certainly won’t lend to much peace, joy, and God’s comfort in my life - much less anyone else's … and that’s how I know Iiiiiii can’t keep it up on my own. Certainly I can't keep doing it this way if space around me in my own home is becoming full and functioning at it's full capacity - nearly bursting at the seams - while, at the same time, space is not opening elsewhere to operate within the community as fast as I’d hoped we were going to.

God, again, had me look at what was already in my hands WITHOUT requiring more of me and others, but requiring less of us - to put it frankly, each of our board members and their families have little bandwidth in this season. There is obvious spiritual warfare impacting the physical, no doubt. YET, we KNOW the Lord has allowed it and is using it to stretch us and grow us through these hard and holy times. Preparing us for what I believe is going to be greater works and wonders that HE (the Lord) has in store for us, our families, and the work He puts in our hands to do - impacting future women, wives, moms, friends, families and their communities, too.

Here’s my “invitational poem” (of sorts) to each of you reading this right now that came from my journaling. 

Will You Walk With Me?

Will you walk with me?

No agenda.

No program.

No pressure.

Not even a perfectly mapped out plan.

Just one step after another as we wander through the wilderMess together.

Trusting that the next step will become clear as we walk alongside one another.

Not as experts and spectators.

But as fellow travelers.

Peer to peer.

Heart to heart.

Soul to sole Sojourners.

I've been thinking a lot about hiking lately.

When we're climbing a steep mountain or blazing a new trail, it's easy to become so focused on reaching the summit that we stop paying attention to the ground beneath our feet.

Sometimes we lose our footing.

Sometimes we get injured.

Sometimes we become so determined to push harder that we miss the quiet invitation to try softer.

And sometimes... the wisest thing we can do isn't to keep climbing.

It's to pause.

To breathe.

To retrace a few steps.

To find solid ground again.

To rest.

To look around with fresh eyes.

And to ask whether God might be inviting us onto a different path.

Not because we've failed.

Not because we've given up.

Not even because it's the wrong way.

But because healing isn't usually a straight line.

Sometimes the way forward begins with the courage to stop forcing what isn't working.

To release the timeline.

To loosen our grip.

To trust that the Good Shepherd knows the geography far better than we do.

Maybe that's the season we, along with Wild Haven Sanctuary, are entering.

Not one of standing still.

But one of intentional cultivation.

While we're preparing our physical sanctuary and tending to our family's needs, we're also preparing something just as important.

We're strengthening the foundation.

Developing better resources.

Creating meaningful experiences.

Listening closely.

Learning.

Growing.

Planting seeds that, Lord willing, will continue serving women to help them get deeply rooted as they continue rising WELL-powered for years to come.

We'll continue offering our annual RESTore to ROAR Retreats, sharing through the "GRHub" (aka- Growing Resources Hub), and creating opportunities to disconnect to reconnect while we prayerfully prepare for what God is building next.

Sometimes the most important work happens beneath the surface, where roots are growing deeper before anyone sees new growth above the ground.

That's the kind of walking and pace I'm longing for.

Not striving.

Not pretending.

Not performing.

Just showing up.

Listening closely.

Speaking graciously.

Encouraging one another.

Sharing stories.

Laughing often.

Holding hope for one another when someone else's hope feels too heavy to carry - even when it's mine.

Learning to recognize God's presence not only on the mountaintops, but also in the wilderMesses - the valleys, beside quiet streams, under shady trees, and around unexpected bends in the trail.

I sense that's what community was always meant to be.

Not people telling each other which path to take.

But inviting people to walk faithfully together step by step, until the next pathway becomes visible again.

So...

Will you walk with me?

Not because I know the way.

But because I know and am trusting the One who does.

And I have a feeling He still has some beautiful WILD trails for us to discover together.

One step at a time.

Before you go...

I'd love to know where you are on your journey.

What wilderMess are you walking through right now?

What are you hoping for?

What are you praying through?

If you're comfortable sharing, leave a comment below or send me a private message at [email protected]. If your request is personal, please know I'll hold it confidentially with care.

It would be an honor to pray with you and for you.

You don't have to walk this trail alone.

Let's keep taking the next faithful step together.

One step.

One prayer.

One day at a time.