A wilderness full of conflict

My last reflection contemplated the time before the wilderness phases of our lives, when a physical, spiritual, psychological, family, or business issue prompted a journey through a difficult or disorienting period. Now I’ll turn to one of the characteristcs of the wilderness experience: conflict.

The wilderness-bound Israelites are hearing negative reports of the promised land. This causes them to “grumble” against Moses and Aaron, fighting with them about whether to trust them (and God), and to bicker about how to move forward:

Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night. And all the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness! (Numbers 14:1-2)

The Israelites are afraid that after escaping slavery by the Egyptians, making it across the Red Sea, and surviving on manna, they will perish in the wilderness or die trying to conquer new lands. So they fight. They fight with Moses and Aaron. They attack members of their own community. They question God. They want new leadership. They contemplate going a different direction.

One attribute of the wilderness experience is exposure to conflict — a struggle between different or opposing people, positions, interests, or ideas. For example, conflict often occurs when one is moving between roles during the business succession process. It may appear as inner turmoil or spousal disagreement around inheritance decisions. It shows up in differing goals among or between generations, in miscommunication between family members, or in sibling rivalries. The point is that our wilderness experience often has elements of conflict; it’s part of what makes the wilderness difficult.

In your wilderness experience, has conflict played a role? Was it inner turmoil, a conflict you had with another person, or were you caught in the middle between family members or business partners?