The desert is a lonely and isolated place for many. For some of us, we creep into the barren land without realizing it. For others, we are dropped into sudden infertile grounds of with nothing more than one sentence.
I don’t love you anymore.
You have been diagnosed cancer.
Your father and I are getting divorced.
We lost the house.
I don’t love you anymore.
Dad, I’m pregnant.
In one sentence we are ripped from normality and find ourselves in a new world, as if pushed out of a moving car. We tumble into the world now unemployed. We are hurled into the land of singleness, the valley of grieving, the new vocabulary of chemotherapy, the graveyard shift and a low paying job. We all know Romans says all things work for good, but right now? Right now things aren’t good and we are at a loss as to how to navigate the terrain.
I firmly believe the desert—the space where we feel lost or lonely or deeply hurt—is fertile ground for our spiritual transformation and for God’s grace to be revealed in magnificent ways. During the Desertology gathering, I have the distinct privilege of challenging God’s people to holiness, and while the desert is prime real estate for faith transformation, it is also the space where we can grow resentful, bitter, and angry if we are unguarded.
The wilderness where faith can thrive is the very desert where it can dry up and die if we are not watchful.
The gathering on June 1st and 2nd is not a how-to guide on locating the nearest exit, nor it is Operation Desert Freedom. I will not give career advice, man-management, or college letters of recommendation. I offer no advice on salvaging your marriage, managing your boss, or teaching you my amazing dance moves.
Instead, consider me your tour guide who will describe the call into the desert, the journey, and the Promise Land, so we can travel through it with greater skill and grace, arriving on the other side with a deeper, richer faith.
Though the desert is profoundly disorienting, it provides the space for God to do some of His deepest work in our lives. Our response to God while in the desert is what will determine whether our journey through this desert will result in deep, positive growth or spiritual decline. The habits we foster in our journey—our responses and reactions—will determine whether the desert results in spiritual life or spiritual death. In the words of Moses, choose life!
I firmly believe we shouldn’t travel the desert alone, so here’s your opportunity to invite your friends and your friend’s friends to join the journey! I’ve set up an event page on Facebook [I love Zuckerman and his online social genius!] that links out to the details so your friends can easily get more info.
This isn’t going to be a fancy women’s conference with smoke machines and rigged lighting [Lord knows I’d love that], nor is it a knitting circle with needles and yarn. It’s simply a place where we can come together on different places on our journey and celebrate the belief that there is a Promised Land to those who walk far enough.
Are you in the middle of the desert? Have you just entered into this empty terrain? Can you see the Promised Land? As I prepare and put together the curriculum, I could use your real-life honesty as to where you are at in this season of life.
Wish I could share the season, but you are speaking directly to me right now (as I’m sure you will be to many others) and I thank you.
So are you flying from the UK to be with us?
What kind of weirdo do you take me for?!
(you’d probably be right)
In the season of confusion, sadness, frustration, disappointment, loss that is divorce. Worst season of my life. But I know Gods in the boat with me, and will remain until I pass through this storm and thereafter.
Thank you SO much for sharing such personal information. It’s truly invaluable to me!
I feel like I’ve been in the desert for about a year now..and JUST NOW I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. lol It’s a hard place to be in-I broke down to a friend once saying that I wanted to move away from my hometown and just start over somewhere else (You know, the usual taking our lives into our own hands trying to change things…SLAP MYSELF!) and she told me something that I hold close to my heart today. She said, “Just because your in the place in your life, doesn’t mean you’re not doing anything.” And like a light bulb turned on, it allllll made sense. I’m graduating with my BA this year and will be heading to grad school next year, I am growing more spiritually, mentally and emotionally, I am making new friends that I will keep for life-how dare I complain about my life being “dry, boring, and redundant”. Now, I embrace this time and LOVE it so much. And guess what? When I started to enjoy it, thats when doors opened up and new opportunities came my way. BEYOND excited for this study! I know I will walk away completely blessed from it! annnnnnd I will be expecting a big hug! Just sayin’ 😉
Can’t wait to see you!
Wait…you’re not teaching us amazing dance moves? 🙁 ha. In all seriousness, I am at a point where I am learning how to praise God, and continue walking with Him while waiting for an answer to a very important prayer request. I’ve never been in this place, but I’ve been finding myself talking to God seeking an answer rather than a friendship with Him. Hope this makes sense.
It does make sense, Brit. I’m excited that you are open and I’m expecting God to give you a breakthrough soon and very soon!
Love this! After 3 consecutive miscarriages, I totally felt like I was in the desert. I know things could be worse but these last 2 years have thrown me for a loop. HOWEVER, you are absolutely right when you say God uses those times bc I have grown so much in my walk with Jesus. I know His love for me and greatly appreciate the deep sacrifice He made for me on the cross. My marriage could have struggled more but instead God made himself ever present in us and built a stronger home for us and our girls. They know with confidence that heaven exists and that Jesus heals!!This world is wicked and broken, but eternity is near 😉
MBK, I love your honesty. Thanks for being real and sharing this journey, not only here but with others as well. Love you. Can’t wait to see you!
I’m in a hot desert called bitterness, fear of the future and unknown, guilt, discontentment with my job, etc. I will stop there and leave some space for others!!! Awful, I know. Neverthe less, I’m still looking up and forward in attending this event.
Only now do I realise i’m in the desert. I’ve been here for a loooooonnng time.. a long time! (I’m 20) I experienced serious bouts of (what I see as) depression and then I would be fine. These sporadic intervals of happy…sad…happy…sad were too overwhelming and I actually felt like I was goona lose my sanity or snap! It got to the point where I didn’t want to be happy so that I wouldn’t have to worry about the next wave of sadness.
I like being honest with God and I told him i feel like i’m bitter towards him but I dont want to be.
I think I am nearing the end of my extremely disorientating desert journey. I must have been going in circles!!! 😀
I could go on 🙂 but thats the main issue.
If you could answer this for me though: How do we (I) have child-like faith toward God?
Thanks
“I will allure her into the wilderness and speak tenderly to her…” Hosea 2:14
Love the story of Hosea’s wife, and it definitely gives some new meaning to a ‘wilderness.’ God created a terrible wilderness for her to lure her back to Himself. Kind of reminded me of what you’re saying above. Wish I could be at the conference! Come to AZ, we’re not that far. 🙂
I once heard a pastor say after I was coming out of one of my own desert seasons, that the lessons we learn in the desert are God’s preparation for the season coming after it. Sometimes when I’m in the desert, all I want to see is that’s it’s all over soon, and I can “get on with my life.” But recognizing that the desert may just well be training ground and preparation also helps one be encouraged in such seasons. Wish I lived closer to Cali- would SO be there if I did 🙂
Is any of this going to be recorded for us East Coasters?
In my search for answers tonight I came looking for your blog and saw this post. I have just fallen back into my own personal desert. And it’s a place I have been before and I thought I had moved past it. For me, my struggle is with being single. I’m turning 30 this year, and I’m single, and I just hate it. I’ve had so many failed relationships, and I’ve seen God work through them, and this last time I FINALLY thought that I had met the man that God had intended for me. And in the space of a week that has all fallen apart, and now I’m left feeling like I’m going to be alone forever and not really sure how to fit God and the promise of his love into it…
Wow! So crazy. Well, I’m glad you landed here 🙂 If you’re in the Southern California area, consider coming by!
‘cuse me for just butting into your conversation, but I’m in pretty much the same place (spent the last hour fighting back tears for my singleness for THE most pathetic reason) so yeah, if you’re in California, come along! You’ll be in good company (and in the classroom of a great teacher)