Hiking in the desert has never been my favorite pastime. It’s too darn hot and there are too many scorpions, rattlesnakes and cacti around for my taste. Still, as a child of about eight or nine, my family decided to go on a hike. It was probably more of a walk up a little hill, but whose keeping track?

On the way down, we decided to take a break. I sat down on a nearby rock only to find that a piece of cactus had beaten me to it. Yowzer! Suffice it to say, this moment initiated my antagonism toward cacti and desert hikes.

What is more spiky, sharp, and standoffish than a cactus? Well, we might know a person or two who could give a saguaro a run for their money. If we are honest, we all resemble these prickly plants at times.

Yet, every year I have witnessed one of the most startling and beautiful occurrences—the blossoming of the cacti.

I’ll be driving into my neighborhood when suddenly I’ll see a dazzling red flower attached to a cactus. Every year it catches me by surprise. Somehow the spikes only make the blossom more lovely, more treasured, more breathtaking.

No longer is the cactus a symbol of caution, but of welcome and renewal.

Come see me, it cries. Rejoice with me. My spikes attest to my suffering, but this blossom marks my victory.

Yes, beauty can come to the most desolate of places.

The truth is, I don’t dislike cacti anymore. I think they are magnificent and strong. Despite the dryness of their surroundings, they soak up water in their pale green trunks—the same way I should soak up the Word of God no matter where I am.

They remind me that my prickly attitude and parched soul can be revived. My scars only help point out the beauty of my spiritual rebirth.

When I was younger, I use to think that God has a sense of humor to put such ravishing flowers on such an intimidating plant. Yet the older I get, the more fitting the combination seems. He can bring beauty to the driest and harshest of places.

Praise God, this includes you and me.

“He turned the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into flowing springs…”

Psalm 107:35