a parched ground: lessons from my desert

There has been no rain recently... Everything has been dry and dead, the heat exhausting and at times, suffocating. Last week we were driving somewhere and Aslan said, "Mommy, it's a desert out there!" All I could say was, "Sure seems that way huh..." Of course I knew it wasn't a desert and at some point the rain would come, but all he knew was that the world around us looked dry and ... crusty. Hello Murfreesboro scenery as of late~

Haha...maybe it's not that bad. Sure seems that way sometimes... It's that time between the suffocating heat and the life giving nourishment that the rain brings... I was sitting outside this morning talking to God about how life in general feels dry... suffocating at times. It's that proverbial place in life... the dreaded transition place... the waiting place.

The Waiting place. It's where things feels certain and incredibly uncertain at the same time. Where 10 minutes ago you were sure of everything and then you look around, and all of a sudden you feel like you are sure of nothing. You know that place... where you've left something behind that had long since overstayed it's welcome, or you've come through a place in life and are moving in a long awaited direction...but not quite there yet. So you're stuck in this weird place and you know you're ready for the next step, at least you knew you were yesterday... then doubt creeps in and the question rises from your soul and whispers "are you really ready? do you have what it takes? you're already tired...weary...bored...a bit, well totally parched from the journey that brought you to this place..." Ok, maybe you don't have those questions :-) but don't you? don't we all? It is such a strange place. It often is a mangled heap of excitement, fear, anticipation, panic, boredom, anxiety, relief. It is that space between the vision and its fulfillment. It is the place where I look at God and say, "What are you doing? or more like "what the mess...this is hard and scary and not at all like I had pictured and that annoys me." (If it offends you that I say "what the mess" to God and tell Him that I get annoyed by the process He takes me through...my apologies. I've found His shoulders are broad enough to handle me :-) In our chat this morning, with all my ramblings about feeling out of His divine loop (as if He owes me an explanation of what He is doing ;-) I looked down and saw a lush patch of green grass in the middle of crusty, dry dirt. It was from a few minutes of rain the night before... amazing. New growth in the middle of a parched ground because of 10 minutes of nourishment. In that moment, He said, "give me time to bring My vision to life from your parched ground. It won't happen over night but it will happen."

Isaiah 35:7 "And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes." The transition place is the place between the desert and the pool. It is where we have just slain some of our biggest dragons and are at times, still dealing with the stench of their decay... where all we see is a tender patch of grass~the beginnings of the vision and we are thirsty for more. I do believe it is in this place where we must cling to the promise of the vision, and trust the rain is coming in its perfect timing bringing with it a pool of blessings. New life is around the corner. "The parched ground shall become a pool." Hang tight and don't go for the mirages that are certain to be along the way~ you will likely end up with a mouthful of sand which makes the walk through the desert more uncomfortable than necessary :) He is faithful and usually doing His greatest works in our driest moments. ~ r