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Have you ever been so perplexed, depressed, frustrated that you can’t even stand to see your negative thoughts put down on paper?
So many thoughts have been swirling in my brain this month as I adjust to a new place and to often perplexing and sometimes unpleasant circumstances. And though writing has typically helped me in the past to plunk those difficult musings on paper as something tangible and therapeutic, lately scribbling anything about my pain and sorrow—even in a journal no one will read—has been something I have been avoiding at all costs.
Why is that? Why do I want to escape from my thoughts? Why do I run away from the pain? Why is it so hard sometimes to face the dross I see God pulling out of me?
Before I came to this season of wilderness, I was excited about change, excited about new, excited about great things God was going to do in and through me. But that was before the realization that change meant I would have to change—not my circumstances, not frustrating people around me, like the slow driver ahead or the thoughtless person in line at the grocery store. No, it meant I would have to change. Read the rest of this entry »
Did you know that ground that has been trampled on continuously over time takes both patience and passion to come alive again?
That concept was on a sign at the base of the trail I had just finished hiking out here in the desert valley. It was meant to spark a spirit of conservation among fellow park participants like me. But I saw it more in spiritual terms.
Do you feel like your life and your heart have been trampled on this year by unwelcome trespassers? Do you sense an erosion in your soul as people have ripped through the pathway to your spirit? Do you wonder when the broken ground in your life will be fruitful again—if ever?
I know I do, and I am guessing many of you do as well. Read the rest of this entry »
Oh the joys of a really good, meat-filled sandwich—now there is a satisfying meal. And places like Subway have been making it their claim to fame for years.
But try separating those two foods, so that you eat only bread in the morning and only meat at night. Not quite the same thing, is it? And it gets worse if this diet continues for days, even months.
Now imagine that the bread you eat when you arise is the same white flaky stuff. It kind of looks like frost and it’s sweet, but it’s definitely some kind of grain, although you really can’t put your finger on what kind. The best way to think about it is to put it in today’s breakfast cereal terms: It’s like Frosted Flakes. But even such a sugary daily dose of dry cereal can get old after a while.
Stranger things have happened in real life. Let’s look back. . .way back. Read the rest of this entry »
Since I have been out in the desert, there have been some Bible verses that have really been speaking to my soul. It seems God is teaching me something about the hard ground of people’s hearts and the importance of the life-giving nature of the Lord in a desolate place.
I like to hike on weekends to this peak not far from where I live to unwind and enjoy God’s beautiful backyard before the weather gets too hot.
And on this one particular Saturday afternoon, one verse really came to mind as I was trying to find sure footing on the way down the steep, rocky mountain. Instinctively, I knew to look for sections where there were immovable rocks, rather than trying to put all my weight on shifting pebbles and loose rocks. Read the rest of this entry »
