Thriving in the Desert

Sitting on the dry ground,
I see little life.
Wind swirls around,
Picking up specks of dust and pollen,
Which are drawn like magnets to my eyes.
Hot, frustrated, and itchy I sit.
Uncomfortable on the hard ground.
Like this land, I too need water.

I am stuck.
Unable to move forward.
Doing the same thing day after day.
The same dust swirling around
Unchanged and in a loop.
The same unrelenting sun beats down on me.
To others, the brightest star brings warmth
To me, it brings heaviness.

I see it from afar.
The wall of gray.
It looks unappealing and gross.
If I didn’t know better, I’d want to run from it.
But I do know better.
I know something is coming.
Something my soul is longing for.
Rain.

The wall moves closer,
As anticipation wells up inside of me.
I know I need water.
Living Water.
The sky darkens temporarily
And a different kind of heat fills my lungs.
The wind and dust still swirl
But I don’t mind this time.

Raindrops fall.
My soul needs them as much as this desert.
The wall finally arrives
Bringing with it a monsoon.
Water giving life to so much that was dead.
Was it actually dead?
Or just dormant
Waiting to thrive?

The nourishment doesn’t soak in right away.
It’s been so long since the rain
That it cannot absorb all at once.
But when it does
New life springs forth.
Roots grow deeper
And buds begin to form.
Transformation is happening.

And just like that, the rain leaves as quickly as it came.
But we are not the same,
The desert and I.
We are renewed.
We are ready.
We are expectant.

The air is fragrant and clean
The dirt settled where it should be
And the bushes dripping with dew.
I sit admiring the shift
Outside and within.
It may not be complete yet,
But it has begun.

Soaking in the water
I see the next step.
Color returns to the sea of brown
And life is evident again.
Purple, yellow, orange, and green.
Peace, joy, purpose, and service.
Fruit is being produced
And he can’t help but smile.
My hands move over the ground.
The dust has now become mud.
Mud which can be molded and shaped.
Mud which can heal.
Mud which helps bring forth life.
And it will return to dust without the water.

Soon more color appears.
Creatures roam during the daylight
Instead of hiding in the darkness
In a self-preservation attempt to stay cool.
The drink doesn’t just affect the ground,
It permeates to the whole ecosystem.
Living Water doesn’t just fill me.
It encourages and elevates those around me.
As evident by the fruit we can see.

Love is trusting.
Joy is effervescent.
Peace is life-giving.
Patience is understanding.
Kindness is contagious.
Goodness is humility.
Faithfulness is commitment.
Gentleness is sweet.
Self Control is worth it.

Thriving produces fruit.
Fruit leads people to Jesus.
And Jesus is the one who saves.
Allow his Living Water to wash over your soul
And reinvigorate your life.
We do not have to exist in the desert
Without water.
Surviving won’t bring true life.

The cycle is broken.
The renewed ground sprouts
As does my soul.
One shoot after another
Ready to spread
Waiting excitedly
To flourish.