How do you tell July in Death Valley, and January in New England, apart?
A month ago I did a blog on the winter seasons of life. I got some good responses and wanted to write some more on it. I am in a unique position as a minister, in the way I get to peer into the world and into communities. I hope this will help either you or someone you love.
How do you tell July in Death Valley, and January in New England, apart? Sounds like an odd question, since their differences seem as different as night and day. Yet when it comes to the soul, how can you tell them apart? In Death Valley, if you see something growing, it is a marvel. If you are stranded out there you might even see it as hope. But it is a false hope really, because if you are out there for long, you will probably die. At best you lift an eyebrow, but you know deep within, reality will set in.
In winter in the northeast, everything appears dead. If you knew no better, you would think you are surrounded by a bunch of dead trees and soon you will share in their death. But the trees are not dead. They look dead, but they are not. In fact, they are enduring a season, one that will make them stronger in the long run. One that eventually they will be better off for because they went through it. Just endure. Just endure.
How does the soul know where it is located? When have things become a hopeless despair, and when is it a season something to endure, one which you will be better off for having experienced in the long run?
I am doing a study on King David. First I did a study on King Saul. David endured winters. Saul wound up in Death Valley, with no hope of rescue. Saul had to live out his years going mad. He was being asked to lead, a job he did not want. After all, he hid in the baskets during his coronation! He was ask to be someone and lead others when he did not have the inner resources to do so. Sure he saw a sprout once in a while—but it was a false hope. He was destined to die a miserable, embarassing death.
David had some dark, dark days. Dark days even though he had done no wrong. Dark days after he did stupid things. But he endured. He ended up being called a man after God’s own heart. He was in winter. Saul was in Death Valley. David just had to endure. Any ray of sunshine for Saul was a joke. In fact, the sun kills in the desert.
So what is different? Well, two things actually. The first is the difference between the pre-resurrection and post-resurrection era. Before Jesus, the Spirit of God only seemed to reside on special people during special times. After Jesus’ resurrection, he ensured that those who follow him always have the Holy Spirit within them. So He’s there, and He never leaves. He permanently resides within us and will never, ever depart. Take comfort in that. God will never banish you to the desert.
The second thing noteworthy is that while Saul did not have the inner resources, neither did David. His hope was in what God could do, not what he could do to get out of such a desperate time. Saul, somewhere along the way, allowed for his insecurities to get to the best of him. He stopped trusting God.
One final note I want to make is how quickly most followers believe they are in a desert, when God means for their circumstances to be a winter. In fact, I would go so far as to say that in the post-resurrection era, God always means for such times to be winters, times to get stronger before your next spurt of growth. Yet we quickly assume that things are barren and hopeless, the rotting process has begun and death is the next step. We conserve and stop taking risks by playing everything safe. We don’t listen to the counsel of others because there is no hope after all, and we wallow in discouragement.
But God is meaning for our experiences to be a winter! In winter you can actually stop and enjoy some aspects of beauty. Most importantly, you keep moving. Why? Because you know two things. One, that by moving you will keep warm and you will be ok. To stop moving may feel good at the moment, not to mention feel safe, but it could kill you. Two, you know that while you can’t make spring happen, God can. So you press ahead, not because of your inner resources, but because of your faith in God and his resources.
01-11-2007 |