Bloomin' Deserts

"The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing... They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of God."

(Isaiah 35:1-2)

I've lived in the high desert for two full years now. We arrived from Hawaii in July 2015. I've been through two complete annual cycles of weather. Granted, the seasons in California aren't like the seasons in New Jersey or Chicago... but they're notably different from the "seasons" in Hawaii (where you only notice the seasons have changed by a 10 degree drop in temperature, and the waves break on a different side of the island!).

But living in the high desert of Southern California has been wonderful. The summers are hot, sure, but the nights cool down. Fall is amazing! Cooler temperatures AND the leaves turn color. (Plus, we drive up to the mountains and get fresh apples from Tehachapi). Winter gets windy (okay, windier!) and cold, but we're enjoying having an active fireplace, and wearing heavier clothes (and jackets!). Spring, however, is the best! It's then that the desert blooms! Flowers everywhere! And the winter rains bring out the green all around. It's almost a completely different place. The beauty is unsurpassed - in a different way from the subtle beauty of the desert at other times in the year.

The people of Israel knew about desert life. It's where they lived. And though I don't exactly know how the seasons change in the Middle East, the prophet Isaiah knew that God specializes in Spring! One of the greatest crises in Israel's history was the Babylonian Exile in 587BCE. Hundreds of thousands of Israelites were taken captive and transplanted over 700 miles away - for an entire generation (about 75 years!). God knew it would be a time of renew and reentering for them. And then they'd return home.

The image Isaiah used for that return home involved deserts blooming. What a perfect metaphor! I've seen it firsthand here in the Antelope Valley. What had looked completely lifeless, dry, and (dare we say, 'dead')... was now teeming with life, color and beauty! That's what it was like when the Israelites came home from captivity, too. That's what it will be like when WE come out of whatever 'desert season' in our lives we're experiencing (with our health, relationships, finances, emotional wholeness, addictions, etc.).

So hang in there. This seasons will pass. And we shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God, as our deserts start to bloom! AMEN.