the desert

Wikipedia describes a desert as a hostile environment that is potentially deadly when unprepared. The same words can be used to describe a spiritual desert. You all know that place (and if you don't, you will); apathy, distraction, doubts. You feel like your prayers are bouncing off the ceiling. The Word doesn't hold your interest, and you don't have the discipline to spend time with God despite it.

One of the biggest obstacles in the desert is lack of water. Much like humidity and high temps cause a loss of water in the desert, stressful situations and a dry spiritual environment can make the living water Jesus speaks about in John 4 disappear.



I tend to live my life in a way that pushes the water intake to the max. I'll gulp as much as I can for an amount of time, thinking that will last me for days. It never does, but I stretch it out as long as I can until I'm ready to pass out from exhaustion (emotional, not physical. well, sometimes physical!)

The absence of this living water results in dehydration, an abnormal loss of water.
When we're not regularly taking in this water, dehydration doesn't happen. Even a regular dose won't do in a desert environment.

And sometimes, we are so immersed in this desert and our thinking is so confused, we hallucinate. We see water up ahead, eager to do anything to get some relief, when in reality we are ready to drink a pool of quicksand. We think it will quench our thirst when it really just makes us more thirsty. I do this all the time; I use work, relationships, food, even blogging to give me a sense of purpose, comfort and enjoyment. This things aren't bad- they are actually essential parts of my life (well, I could live without blogging I guess :). But used inappropriately, they are detriments to my spiritual growth and relationship with God. Sun, wind, and hot, dry air are all elements that are ok on their own. But too much of them wreak havoc on the human body. (I love using that phrase, wreak havoc! wreak havoc!).

Another result of too much exposure in a desert environment is heatstroke. This is defined by dictionary.com as a "disturbance of the temperature-regulating mechanisms of the body caused by overexposure to excessive heat." Desert elements actually cause the body to work improperly. The stress and dryness in a spiritual desert can disturb the normal state of our heart and mind.

I was chatting with a good friend a few days ago; she said it was easy for her to believe that God is sovereign and in control of the lives of her friends, but it was hard to believe that He is in control in her life. It's so easy to believe things about ourselves, and things about God, when life is good. I'm not sure who said it, but 'we must believe in the dark what we learned in the light.'