Lessons from a Utah Desert
{On a spring break trip with Young Life College, I visited a multitude of places in several states, and in each one of those places, the Lord revealed something about himself. On the first leg of the trip, we drove through Utah.}Utah is a very interesting state. There is a vast array of rocky scenery: cragged, taupe canyons whose age and weather-worn faces resemble wise old souls. Ruddy pinnacles of rock stand as lighthouses of the desert, far above the plateaus that support them; scrubby green shrubbery litters the thirsty, sand-colored grass at the base of these "shrub clusters." A muted, unique rainbow emerges from the layers of sediment and serves as a stark contrast to the vibrant sky and select bits of vegetation. At a rest stop, we got out of the cars, and thankful for the opportunity to stretch and move, ran to the top of the canyon lookout.
There's something about being a small dot in the midst of an endless landscape to put life in perspective, to put God back in his proper place of greatness and glory as creator. This desert reminded me of my own insignificance, of the fact that I serve a God of immeasurable magnitude, who, for reasons I will never comprehend, chooses to love, call, and redeem me. The weight of this truth should feel heavy, but instead, it makes my other burdens feel lighter. Truth has a way of doing that- realigning perspective, relieving the burdens I load myself with, and placing new, God-given purpose and responsibility within me.
The weight of this truth should feel heavy, but instead, it makes my other burdens feel lighter. Truth has a way of doing that.
The desert also illustrated within its landscapes a metaphor to highlight another truth. In the span of hundreds of miles of dry, nearly lifeless terrain, are pockets of green fields, lush plants, and livestock. In these small stretches of local farmland and civilization, I was forced to reflect on the landscape's similarity to life. I have experienced my portion of "desert experiences" in my life and walk with Christ- experiences that, while I knew He worked all things together to my good because I love Him, led me to question why it had to be me in the desert.
But, as I reflected, I remembered that Jesus (the son with whom He is well pleased) spent time in the desert. In those days of solitude, seeking the father's will, self denial, suffering, and saying no to the enemy's temptations, Jesus grew closer to the father's heart and was assured of the truth of His calling and purpose.
Jesus (the son with whom He is well pleased) spent time in the desert.
Now, Jesus is God. He didn't have to "do time" in the desert, just as he didn't have to become God in the flesh and redeem mankind through His own death. He did it because of His alignment with the father's heart and His endless love for people. For you. For me. He did it to model what it looks like to walk through the desert moments of our lives and faith (and emerge from the experience closer to God and less concerned with our own mess).When all we have in the desert is the truth to cling to, we realize how little of what we've been led to believe is significant. In this realization, we experience growth, or "pockets of lush green" in the metaphorical desert of our circumstances.
He didn't have to "do time" in the desert, just as he didn't have to become God in the flesh and redeem mankind through His own death. He did it because of His alignment with the father's heart and His endless love for people. For you. For me.
The end of our time in Utah was spent driving through clouds, rain, sleet, and misty-topped canyons. This gloomy weather not only brought opportunity for quiet reflection and introspection, but also reminded me that sometimes, we have to endure the storms in order to receive the life-giving moisture to the driest crevices of scenery in our lives. 