When I was 12-years-old, I went to Arizona to visit my Mammaw and Pappaw, and while there, it rained. It was only about an inch, maybe less; just a few minutes of release from the dry brittleness of the desert around us. Within an hour, everything came to life. I don’t mean that the cacti, brush and various creatures weren’t living before. I mean that suddenly, it seemed that the Earth was celebrating. The plants bloomed, the creatures came out of their hiding places and the sun didn’t seem so harsh. It was as if the desert was having a party -- getting set up and dressed up -- and we were invited.
Fast forward nine years and I am 21, a junior in college, and lost in the ugliness of the world. I look around and see brokenness in the world and myself. I hear about the hurt and violence in the news and on my campus. It seems like everyone is struggling with something, and yet, we all think we are unique in our suffering. We are lost in the desert.
And then it starts to rain. You know that part in movies where the main character says, “Could this get any worse?” and then the sky suddenly bursts open? That actually happens in real life. OK, so maybe it metaphorically happens, but there have been days where, on top of everything else, it actually rains.
We have two essays, three exams, a lunch meeting every day of the week, we miss our alarms and breakfast, we put on two different shoes, our roommate’s being ridiculous, our significant other / person we really like is now ignoring us and then it starts to rain. Or we drop our phone in a toilet, but I digress. We’re like, “I’m already barely surviving! I’m already lost! I’m already stranded all alone out here!”
But have you ever gotten to the other side of that week, month or even year? Have you seen the blooms open up and all the other things come out into the open? All those possibilities are finally opportunities that you can see and grab onto.
That bit of rain suddenly makes the desert (or life, if you haven’t gotten the metaphor) so incredibly beautiful. Rain in the desert is actually refreshing! If you are still in that rain storm, I can promise you that you will come out the other side and see the result of all that discomfort. Your desert is going to bloom in ways you can’t even imagine.
However, we all know that deserts don’t bloom forever. After a few hours, the vibrant flowers and scurrying creatures disappear. Like any great party, the guests go home, leaving with the memories of the experience. For a time, those memories can sustain us and make the desert seem beautiful, even in its “usual” state. Eventually though, the sun starts to get too hot, the sand too dry, and the brush too boring. Then, it rains again.
Ponder this. If the desert was well-watered, would the blooms seem as vibrant after the rain? If you didn’t get through those times of darkness, would the opportunities on the other side seem as worthwhile?
I encourage you to pray for rain. Immerse yourself in the challenges that are thrown at you. Rejoice in the beauty that comes after. Look forward to the next storm.
"Count it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." – James 1:2
