We all would like life to be fun, enjoyable, life giving, and purposeful. But, in reality, there are times when we face difficulties that cause us to feel empty, alone, dry, and possibly worn out or worn down. The desert is a landscape of harsh terrain that is barren, dry and frugal. In the desert, we thirst, we sweat, and desire to escape from the unrelenting and highly uncomfortable heat and sun. We are fragile.
Early Christians actually intentionally made their way into the desert, hoping that the empty barrenness would offer opportunities for silence that might help them grow in their life of prayer and devotion to God. The landscape itself opened up a particular vision of God as well as a conception of self to these fervent seekers. In time, the desert mothers and fathers of our faith developed the discipline necessary for understanding a deeper revelation of faith, grace, and love, and how to live these out in solitude, in community and in the world.
If you find yourself in a desert season in your life, consider the opportunity in front of you to embrace something new and maybe even unexpected. Can you allow the heaviness, dryness, and feelings of abandonment to lead you to the new and deeper relationship with the One who created you, knows you, and desires to draw you closer to Himself? It is in the silence and solitude that the voice of God can be more clearly heard. Give yourself permission just to sit and be quiet, rest and watch the hummingbirds. It’s quite OK.
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“Think of Hagar, mother of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, driven into the wilderness not once but twice; first when she was pregnant and fleeing the harsh treatment of Sarah, then as the mother of a young son and cast out by Sarah and Abraham.
Yet, Hagar finds wellsprings in the wilderness and experiences God's presence so clearly that at one point she dares even to name God: "You are El-roi."
For she said, ‘Have I really seen God and remained alive after seeing him?’“
Thoughts by Jan Richardson and Genesis 16
from The Sanctuary of Woman