Desert

“It is in the dryness of (the) desert that my thirst for answers, assurances and comfort is quenched. In the silence of my pain, my heart hears the voice of God. In emptiness and loneliness, I always find the Lord waiting to fill me with His love and peace.

There in that desert, God makes my faith bloom.”

-In His Steps (26Feb12)

I am from the desert. Literally.

But, I am thankful for it. When I was younger, we would go camping overnight as a family in the desert. Away from civilization. No bathroom. No running water. No electricity.

Huddling together to share warmth from the bonfire in the cold winter night.

Sneaking your sleeping bag outside the tent when your mom was asleep to sleep under the stars. (Because you know she wouldn’t want you catch a cold.. Moms, right?) Not being able to sleep because of the awe and wonder you feel gazing at the constellations of the heavens above.

Fighting sleep just so that you could stay awake for the sunrise.

Trying to figure out how many different shades and hues you could distinguish when the sun went up.

Then, knowing you were fighting a losing battle, you choose to surrender and just bask in the beauty of the gift of starting a new day.

Then I thought about it. I’ve experienced the same in my own spiritual life.

In that desert, I would huddle against any source of warmth that I can get. To try and fight against the cold that was trying to overcome every cell of my body. And if I found people in the same situation as me, I try to gather around people who exuded the warmth that I so desperately needed. Assurances from friends. Embraces from my family. Guidance from mentors.

Then when I found that glimmer of hope on the horizon, my cravings to seek the light would intensify. The emotions that I felt in sneaking out of the tent were not unlike how I’d feel in trying to do whatever I can just to sneak in more glances of the Almighty.

Fighting sleep. Just like fighting the temptation of letting my guard down. Especially in those moments when I need to stay up. Be alert. Waiting patiently but eagerly anticipating that moment when His glory will be revealed like how the first rays of the sun would peep over the sand dunes in the horizon. Smoothly flowing over the distance like a river, coursing its way from the source to where it opens up to its destination, bringing the desperately needed life and energy that the receiving end needs.

And when you see the shades and hues of His glory, you naively try and test your limited human ability to see if you can understand the complex ways that God works.

Then the God-given grace of wisdom strikes.

You put aside your pride.

You accept your humanity.

You give way to humility.

You stand back.

Not looking straight at the source, because you know that it’s just too bright. You can’t handle it.

But, you feel His tender love. And His warm embrace. His loving warmth. Flowing over you. Surrounding you. Reaching into you.

You surrender. And bask in the embrace of the Almighty.

Because you know that’s all you’re ever going to need to face each day.

By: Apple Fuentes, SFC UAE