Suffering And Pain: Unexpected Unhurryনমুনা

Drained? Drought-Stricken?

One summer the lake at a Christian camp our church often sent groups to was drained. The once pristine mountain lake was now an empty hole, and a lot of churches—including ours—cancelled their trips that year. But draining the lake was intentional and crucial: doing so enabled the camp to both make very necessary repairs to the dam and clear out years of junk from the lake bottom. 

Is it possible that God allows me to feel drained of my own energy, purpose, and strength so I can see more clearly what needs to be repaired and then both make those repairs and clean out the junk that was revealed? Will I choose, in seasons when I find myself drained and dry, to trust that God is seeking to make me holy rather than letting me be satisfied with just looking holy? That is definitely not my default mode.

I think, for instance, about the prayers I’ve prayed in the dry places. I am not usually grateful for God’s refining work, and I let him know that I want the water level back where I was comfortable. Dry times expose the vulnerable, sinful places in me—the gluttony, lust, greed, and envy. (You could make your own list.) Dry times test my ability to persevere and endure, giving me an opportunity to build some spiritual muscle. Despite this potential good, hanging in there through the dry times isn’t easy.

One reason is—and maybe you’re like me—my motivation level is often tied to how I am feeling, and dryness demotivates me. I get discouraged as the dryness makes me aware of my many misdirected thirsts and exposes how selfish even my “spiritual” motives can be. Whatever fuels the discouragement, the path I’ve been walking day after day is now dusty and hardened, and I find it difficult to continue to do the work God has entrusted to me. 

Perhaps like a tree that sinks its roots deeper during a drought, I will learn to sink my roots down more deeply to where I might find refreshment in God.

Lord, I struggle to walk the path you have for me when it becomes dusty and hardened. Please protect me from getting stuck in discouragement. Instead, by the power of your Spirit, help me sink my roots deep into your love that motivates and refreshes.

From An Unhurried Life by Alan Fadling