'WILDERNESS TIMES' AND THE BIBLE'S LEADERSHIP

BY KERSTYN BATTENBERG

ALTHOUGH I ATTENDED Sunday School and learned Bible stories throughout my childhood, it wasn't until recently that the Bible made it off my bookshelf and back into my hands. As I began to get reacquainted with this book, I was learning that the types of challenges people faced so long ago often parallel concerns we deal with today. Far from being stale and unconnected, Bible stories now seem applicable to me—alive and fresh.

One story that I've been particularly interested in over the past few years is the story of the children of Israel's journey through the wilderness. I related to it because after I graduated from college, I was faced with what I'd call "wilderness times." I'd been used to having very specific goals, and the "next step" was always very clear to me. For instance, after high school I knew I was moving on to college, and so on. Once college was completed, the doors of opportunity were supposed to be wide open, but there seemed to be no obvious next step.