The desert

It's a weird phenomenon the desert. So forbidding, harsh, and unforgiving of those that fail to plan - and yet so beautiful, untouched, and marvelous.

I've been spending a lot of time in deserts over the past few weekends. Last weekend I stayed near the Ein Gedi nature reserve right along the Dead Sea and Masada. This weekend I took tours out to Jordan and Egypt - driving through deserts both times.

There's something significant about both of those deserts that I was in - and that is that both of them are deserts that were crossed by the ancient Israelites from the Bible times. It's funny because it brings real meaning and life to the complaints of the Israelites about the lack of water, food, and the overall desolate area. As beautiful as I find the desert landscape, there's not much luck digging for edible roots and hunting for animals; there's just not too much of that going around.

Then I thought about the metaphor to life that these stories of the Israelites in the desert brings to mind. We're delivered from slavery and experience miracles beyond our wildest imaginings as we see all sorts of strange phenomena descend upon the Egyptians - and even walk across the bottom of the Red Sea - as it's parted before our very eyes. But then the dream pops as we look around at the desert we're in - with nothing around and death peeking around every corner if one isn't careful. We wonder what the hell we're doing in the middle of the desert when back in slavery we at least knew what to expect the next day. We forget the daily reminders of God feeding us, caring for us, making sure that we never starve or die of thirst - and continue to grumble that we don't have that nice car.

Whoops... has my metaphor slipped and turned into present life? Because really, it doesn't seem like much of a metaphor to me. In fact it seems exactly like the way we live our lives now. Some are strong enough to remember that God provides for us daily, carries us on, and that we can defeat the giants that we will face in the promised land. Others of us are more easily defeated by the simple obstacles that life throws at us (note that simple doesn't mean easy... and I don't begrudge the people that become defeated by those obstacles because I can easily classify myself among the subset of people that do).

But where does one begin the transition from the latter to the former? How does one so solidly root their identity in Christ that they are firm and strong no matter the condition and no matter the situation. When the temptations come, they are strong. When the trials come, they stand strong. Meanwhile, my life seems to have long washed out to sea and I stand amongst the wooden planks that are all that is left of my home built on the sand.

But even planks are a starting point to pick up, climb up to where the rocks are and build afresh. The temple in Jerusalem may no longer be anything but the walls and the giant base that Herod built during the Second Temple Period, and my life might seem like that... but I will come to that wall everyday, pray by it, and begin rebuilding the temple within me stone by stone and moment by moment.

And nothing will deviate me from this goal and mission.

Nothing.