Thunder in the Desert

          Recently, I was reading about a man that had been lost alone in the desert for nine days. His ordeal was surely one that I cannot imagine. The thirst from not having water would make one desperate enough to drink just about anything in order to stay alive. In his story, life saving rain came at just the right moments to keep him alive, when he was too weak to manage for himself. But there were days that came and went, when no rain fell. I'm sure he thought that the end was near many times; that his life's story in this world had come to an end, there in the California desert.
          One of the dictionary's definitions of desert is, 'any place lacking in something'. It sounds so unassuming, yet a place where any and all organisms struggle to survive is not a place to be. Life can be a series of events that range from your happiest day, to being lost in your own desert. Whether it's a desert of failure in school or work, or one of financial ruin. Perhaps the cruelty of human weakness through disease has come to you, or you can't control an addiction that seems to weigh over you like a massive boulder quarried from shame and self-loathing. Each time you see an end to your circumstances and pain, it turns out to be a mirage of lifeless vapor.
          Imagine yourself in the quiet, starlit night of a dry and lifeless place. The sky is intermittent with clouds, and in the distance, you see the faint flashes of lightning at the horizon. The delusion of hope grips your heart again. Days into your ordeal, you are ready to move toward the promise and find out, for certain, if the rain is real or not. After a seemingly eternity of thirst and heat, you long for the drops of wet redemption to touch your burned and aching skin, to wet the tip of your tongue if only to cool it for a while. This is the image of not only a desperate person in a dangerous physical place, but it also describes our lives in those times when we find ourselves in our darkest, driest moments. Those times when our spiritual tongues are dried and cracking from the lack of living water. When we've lost our direction or misplaced our purpose. We wander in our search for what makes us happy, or fulfilled, and yet rarely discover the answer on our own. The desert can be a place of great peril, and even death. So it is spiritually. If we stay in the desolation of a purposeless life, we will eventually die to the ways of good, mercy and hope. The desert will consume us.
          Unlike the man in my story, we do not have to wait and hope that the thunder will bring us spiritual rain. In John 1:19-23, God calls us to be His prelude. To announce that He is coming to a world of desolation and drought with the healing everlasting water. In John 4: 13-14 Jesus tells the woman that His water will forever quench our soul's thirst. In a few short chapters, John tells us that as we wander in our desert we should keep telling others about what God has done in our lives. Even when we are thirsty ourselves, dry and parched, we should point the way to His living water. In fact, I think that we are the most useful to God, when we've come through our own solitary wasteland. When we have seen and felt the sorrow of loosing a loved one, we are ready and trained to help those in need. To come through a life crisis such as the failure of a business, or betrayal of a friend, this is our desolation ordeal, and if we put our faith and resolve in the right place, it makes us a very credible voice to others in similar situations. I'm not saying that you have to die to understand what death means, or that unless you have been divorced, you can't know the feeling of abandonment or failure. Some people are gifted with the ability to empathize with those in need. But for most of us, the experience of life circumstances trains us to know when others truly need our grace and support.
          I believe that the church was called to help fulfill this function, to share with each other's passion and loss, in ways that would strengthen one another. Sadly, many times that seems to be the lacking ingredient as the modern church searches for purpose, instead of hearts. But do not give up on your search for genuine lives being lived with passion and those willing to share what they have experienced and learned from their conflicts. We do not come together to judge or count sins, we come together to find strength, and endurance. Find your place of belonging, where God's message is emanating from hearts full of grace and a natural caring for others, living day to day by His unchanging words and promises.
          If we are to have a chance for others to see our lives as a light of credible understanding, the fact that we have lived the same crisis or tragedy is a big first step. We are to be that thunder in the distance, the hope of good things to come. Seeing our survival, our continued resilience under fire, gives others an example of what may be close at hand for them, if they pursue with diligence the path towards the well of the living water. Our desert is not one of complete desolation, even though many times it does feel that way. There are many today on this journey with us, as well as those who came before and will come after, and we all look to each other for that promise. That hope of thunder in the desert.

John 1:19-23 / John 4: 13-14 (msg)

The Reunion

   The older I get, the more people that I know, and hold dear, pass from this life to the next. I wrote what follows to describe what could be, not what I know for sure. I am not a scholar or a theologian, but I know that God has promised all of us not to forsake us. In our biggest hour of need, I trust that His promise is the most powerful for those who are desperate to find peace and a glimpse of love lost. For those who remain..

   A warm sun filled the sky, and a gentle spring breeze blew through the budding branches of the neighborhood trees. It was a perfect day, no coat, just right for short sleeves and sunglasses. As he laid in his bed, his breathing was labored and he could not speak, but he could see this nature through the window, and he wondered, what would it be like. Not to have the sun in the sky, not to feel the wind on his face and in his hair. His wife was at his side, singing softly as she stared into his eyes, no words were spoken, but he felt her say "I love you" in her touch, and he answered her in the only way that he could, the squeeze of his hand. Since cancer had invaded his body, he had wondered about this time. At first, he trusted that God would heal his body. But Gods plan is not always our idea of the perfect design. His body had slowly been reduced to a shadow of its former self, but his love for her and for God had not diminished.
As the afternoon light grew dim in his eyes, he lost sight of his wife of many years. Although she never left his side - he felt alone, but more at peace than he had in some time. It took a few minutes for him to realize that the pain in his body was gone, but slowly he found himself imagining that he was walking through the most lush and green forest he had ever seen. Tall ferns grew everywhere, and he seemed to be on a grassy pathway that leads through the tall trees and wound further than he could see. He could smell the scent of something like pine, but not quite. After only a few moments he noticed what seemed to be a man sitting at a table alongside the pathway. The man was dressed in white, or at least he thought so. Bright, glowing light seemed to surround him. "Hello, and welcome," the man said as he approached. "I've been waiting for you," he said as he lifted his coffee mug and offered one to the newcomer. "I don't know how I got here," he said, but the man at the table interrupted, "you are exactly where you are supposed to be. Welcome" at this moment he recognized the man at the table, it was a dear friend of his that had passed away many years ago. A little surprised at how calm they both seemed to be he asked,  "Am I dead?" "You aren't dead, you're healed," said the man at the table. "And you've made it to the next part of your journey. A most wonderful and exciting odyssey". Just then he noticed many others joining them in this peaceful and beautiful setting. People and family members that he hadn't seen in years. Loved ones that had passed on, they were all there gathering around him, one by one saying hello and giving him hugs of joy, and telling him how much they had missed him. As the crowd grew larger and larger, there was one man he knew that he should recognize, but couldn't place his face, or where he knew him from. "Who was that", he thought to himself. He seemed to know everyone there by name, and they all focused on him as he came forward. "Welcome, my faithful child," he said as he hugged him. "Jesus?" whispered the man as he collapsed into his arms. "Yes, welcome home. We've been praying for you to find peace in your illness. And now, you have it". "My wife!" The man said realizing he was not going to be waking up from this vision, and knowing that she would be heartbroken and alone... Jesus quieted his fears by reminding him, that they had learned to trust in God together, and that she was in good hands. "Thank you," he said as they began to talk and walk throughout the gathering. They hugged and began to visit among the crowd. They laughed together and told stories of their adventures as the family and friends continued to celebrate his arrival.
Her eyes filled with tears as she watched his last breath leave his body. His hand in hers, once strong and guiding, was now still and unmoving, expressionless. She lifted it to her lips and kissed him one final goodbye. For the next few minutes, she sat quietly. Crying, remembering, and praising God that they had never given up on their promise to love each other. Unseen to her right and to her left, there were two beings standing near her. They were shrouded in bright light, at least in they're realm. The angels were there, watching, comforting, and guarding her for him, in her time of grief, doing what he could no longer do. Sent by the master's command, they watched over her, wiped her tears, and gave her the blessing of a flood of memories that made her smile and laugh a little. She wondered what he was seeing. What it must be like. If he could see his family, his friends. What was heaven like? What a wonderful reunion he had talked about having when he got there.
A few days later, she laid his body to rest. Kind words were spoken to comfort the living and respect the absent.  She smiled as she imagined him looking on from a distance, telling those with him how much he loved her. He was indeed there. And he was telling them just that, someday he would hug her in person again. She vowed, that she would look forward to that day when she would run into his arms again. The day that would be their reunion, and chance to praise God together, again. Until then

Randy
For Dad, Greg, and Johnny, I miss you all and look forward to our reunion.
4-24-2015