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Barren Desert or Fertile Landscape?
Copyright 2010 Lauri Lumby Schmidt
Thus says the LORD:
Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh,
whose heart turns away from the LORD.
He is like a barren bush in the desert that enjoys no change of season,
but stands in a lava waste, a salt and empty earth.
Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream:
it fears not the heat when it comes; its leaves stay green;
in the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit.
So, what is your life like? Is your life like a barren bush in the desert standing amid a lava waste - a salt and empty earth; or is your life like a tree planted beside waters, leaves healthy and green, showing no distress in times of dryness and still bearing fruit? This is the question posed to us by the prophet Jeremiah in the scripture passage above. We all experience the joys and sorrows, highs and lows, suffering and ecstasy of living in this human form, and yet, our perception and attitude toward this experience differs greatly. For some, the human experiment is dry, barren, and lifeless; while for others the experience is filled with life and nourishing to the spirit. What Jeremiah observed is that it is our connection with our Divine Source that dictates the way in which we perceive our experience of the human condition. Those that remember their intimate connection with God are able to see the life in the human experience, while those who have forgotten this connection see only death. The good news is that no matter our current perception of the human condition, we have the freedom to make a change.
If we are currently perceiving our experience through the lens of longing, lack, fear, anxiety and suffering, we have the opportunity to allow ourselves to be open to remembering our connection with the Divine. As we work toward cultivating this intimate connection, we find that our way of seeing the world is transformed. Remembering the peace and love that are our original nature, we leave behind the barren desert and find out place beside the river of life. We allow ourselves to receive the nourishment, support and sustenance that have been there all along and begin to rest in the contentment of knowing that we are never alone.
The good news is that cultivating this connection with God is really quite simple and begins with intention. As we intend to receive change in our lives and intend to remember more fully our connection with God, the pathways are made clear. The tools that we need to facilitate this process will come to us and they will come in a way that speaks to us in a very intimate and personal way. All we need to do is be open.
So, in the coming week, my invitation to you is this:
- Be open
- Be open to how the Divine is calling you into a deeper awareness of your intimate and personal connection
- Be open to the transformational power of that intimate connection with the God of your understanding
- Be open to the promise of new life, new hope and new dreams
- Be open to life!
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