In the Desert

A group of young adults were living their best lives in the mountains of Colorado. They followed a call from Jesus to spend a year or two doing an internship. They climbed mountains – and trees. They played in the snow and sat around campfires. They started their day with a view of the mountains.

And then there was a shift. A change in leadership, values, procedures and vision. What the group thought was sure became very unsure. Decisions had to be made. Stay or go. Through many hours of prayer and tears, a small group decided to go.

Boxes and suitcases were packed. Cars were loaded to the max. And when I say, “Loaded to the max,” I mean it. One gal walked out with a tea kettle, and I thought, “She’s going to have to hold that in her lap.”

We were planning on three cars of young women in our caravan that would travel over fourteen hours to their new home. The night before, I was informed that a young man would be joining us.

Early morning, friends who were staying and friends who were going gathered around to say “Good-bye,” hug each other and utter a prayer for safe travels. I piled into one of the young gal’s car and off we went into the unknown. Grief and excitement were mixed up and spilling out all at once. We drove out of the mountains with several inches of snow beneath our tires.

And we drove and drove and drove. The landscape changed. The climate changed. Night fell. And we drove. Our headlights illuminated strange plants on the side of the road, casting eerie shadows. One gal thought the plants belonged in a Dr. Seuss book. She hadn’t lived anywhere where pine trees didn’t grow and had never seen a Yucca plant.

I started to see signs warning of possible dust storms and advising us to pull off the road if visibility was lost. Umm, if we lost visibility, how would we know if it is safe to pull off the road? What if there wasn’t a safe shoulder? And how far do we pull off the road? And do I leave my engine running or shut it off? I’ve lived where there are tornadoes, hurricanes and blizzards, but dust storms were new to me.

“We should Google what to do in a dust storm,” I said to my driving companion. Dr. Suess trees were the least of my worries.

Fourteen hours after driving out of the mountains, our weary band of travelers, who were very uncertain of their future, arrived in the desert. The following seven months would be a very dry desert for some in the group and an oasis to others.

Some in the group found their voice. Some in the group found their people. Some in the group found their calling and some in the group found their next step. In a way, they all found their next step.

The time in the desert was challenging but I know this group of young adults sought the Lord and relied on Him in ways they never had in the mountains – where life was familiar and easier. Sometimes, the comfort and certainty in our lives must be stripped away so that we can truly learn to trust God’s faithfulness.

I have climbed mountains, sat in valleys, and walked through deserts.

Each place taught me a new facet of God’s faithfulness and depth of love for me.

The past several weeks, I have been reminded of this.

I watched the quiet, young man who made a last-minute decision to join our caravan out of the mountains and into the desert go North again. I watched him stand on a stage in the same building he left years ago and powerfully and prayerfully lead a large room of people in worship. Full circle moment. Tears may have blurred my vision.

And I watched another couple walk into restoration because they were faithful to hold tight to all God has called them to do. Gratefulness may have filled my heart.

Today, I am encouraged by these reminders. What about you? Are you in a desert? Are the mountaintop moments things of the past? Take heart.

God is faithful. He cares about the little things. And the big things.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. Isaiah 43:2

Or, my version: When you leave the mountains and go to the desert, I will be with you.

For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. Isaiah 43:19

“New” may take a while and not look exactly like you think it should. But, hold on and lean into the Lord. He is faithful. THIS, I know!

Are you in a desert?