Beauty in the Desert

Three and a half years ago, my husband and I moved from Texas to the Arizona desert. I didn’t know what to expect. I lived half of my childhood in Texas and the other half in Florida, surrounded by water! When we first moved to Arizona, I was in awe of the mountain views. But other than that, the landscape was nothing special. However, the longer I live here, the more I fall in love with the beauty surrounding us. I have come to realize that there is so much beauty to be found here in the desert.

I think the same is true with our spiritual lives. We tend to think that the hard times in our lives, the desert places, are pointless.  But I am learning that it is in those desert places that the real beauty lies.

Living life with an auto-immune disease is like living life on a roller-coaster AND NEVER GETTING OFF! I have days where I feel great and want to conquer the world and I have days where I am lucky if I get off the couch more than a couple of times (thankfully, those days are less right now!)

Though my reports have been better with my auto-immune issue, I still have several other health issues that currently need attention. And even after all the Lord has been teaching me, my first reaction sometimes is still to PANIC. But He is so gently teaching me time and time again to lean into Him during those scary times. To press into Him harder than before, to REMEMBER His past faithfulness, and to cling to His Word.

The week before last, I read through the book of Colossians. This book is full of encouragement and spiritual nuggets. As I was reading, there was a passage of Scripture that really stood out to me. Isn’t it funny how we can read something for the hundredth time and that is when the Lord impresses it on our hearts and speaks to us so specifically? His Word is alive, I have no doubt about that!

Colossians 1:15-17 says, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or princes or authorities – all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.”

This is good stuff, y’all! If I know His Word is true, if I believe the promises in it, then why am I so good at panicking at the first sign of trouble?! Yet, as He always does, He sweetly reminded me that He created all things, He is over all things…even the highest authority here on Earth, and He holds ALL things together. I am no Bible scholar, but I am pretty sure that ALL includes me. It includes that scary medical test or upcoming surgery, and it includes the outcome and the results. He IS good and He CAN be trusted with ALL things.

And let’s talk about His past faithfulness. There have been so many times in my life where He has proven faithful, He has brought me through a storm and He has shown Himself to me. I have example after example of His goodness and faithfulness in my life. And isn’t that the best part about going through trials? His presence. His nearness. I have learned that we might not get the answers we want, or the results we want, or even the physical healing we want…but y’all we get something so much greater. We get Him. Trials grow our faith, yes. But they also give us opportunity for intimacy with our Savior that otherwise we might not experience.

So today, I will choose to remember all He has done in the past. I will choose to remain grateful for all He is teaching me in the present. And I will choose to trust Him with all that lies ahead in the future. For He is good and He holds ALL things together.

With God, there is always beauty to be found in the difficult places of our lives. There is always beauty to be found in the desert.