While reading this mornings devotional from 'Your Wilderness is a mirror" by Jacqueline Battle. (Powerful devotional run don't walk if. You don't have it! ) This morning it talked about the transition to promise. The wilderness may end but the lessons remain. She stated that " You don't leave the wilderness unchanged; you leave it equipped." And then says this, which made me pause for a moment" The desert was NEVER meant to destroy you. It was meant to define you." Whew! Transparent moment looking back at some of my really tough desert moments, I really thought I was not going to make it out! However being on the other side of things now, the wisdom gained, the lesson learned, and the character development to name a few things I have walked away with has been invaluable! Don't discount your desert place whether you are in it, coming out, or out!!! God has a plan for you, and you have to be equipped for where he is taking you! As I am learning and growing, I understand more and more why process is important, and why you shouldn't skip steps. It may be tough and it may be uncomfortable but it's a form of love for you and the people and situations he has called you too!