Life is What We Make It

Life is what we make it

 life can be a desolate place
that is barren
with no hope in sight
if that is what we believe.

Life can be a deep
dark river of vile
if we chose to perceive
only the negative things we see.

Life can be a burden we bear
day after day

source

but in the end
life if what we make it.

If you look for darkness and hopeless
that is what you will find.
So always remember no matter what
always look for sunshine and hope.

What is a Spiritual Desert?

Often we hear about the beauty, the joy, the peace, and love we experience on our spiritual journey with Christ. Sometimes, far too rarely do we honestly share and pour out about the other side of this journey, the desert.

What is a desert you might ask?  I found that this definition best describes the term:

"A desert is a barren area of land where little precipitation occurs and consequently living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to the processes of denudation."

The definition above explains what a desert is literally. Now, let us explore what a desert is spiritually.  A spiritual desert just like a literal desert is when our lives have become barren and desolate. This type of desert comes with a number of challenges. It comes with physical, spiritual, financial and emotional deficits, so the conditions in our lives are hostile. During this season, often nothing in our lives seems to bear.  It is also during the desert we often feel like we are disconnected from God. Most times, thoughts of giving up, turning back and leaving the presences of God plagues us.

In Matthew chapter 4: verse 1, we read: "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil."

The scripture shows us that it was the Holy Spirit that led Jesus into his desert. So, the question is why would the Holy Spirit lead Jesus into the desert? Simple, the desert is an essential part of our journey with God. The desert is what makes us stand firm in our commitment with God. If we are able to go through this desert; we then come out of the other side transformed.

I speak on this topic because I recently went through a brutal desert. I was spirituality, physically, mentally and emotionally wrecked. I was at my breaking point. No one could help me. No one understood what I was going through. No one's advice could work for me. I had to hit rock bottom. This is what I want you to understand, when you are in your desert you are alone just like how Jesus was alone. You will be tempted just like how Jesus was tempted and just like Jesus you will have to use the Word to get you through.

After hitting rock bottom I was faced with a decision, giving up or relying on God. Everything told me to give up. Everything in my life made it seem like giving up was the best option. Just like how the devil made it seem to Jesus that all his problems would be finish if he ate bread (Matt. 4: 3-4 ) or prove that God was with him (Matt. 4: 5-6 ). The question I had to ask myself was what am I giving up and going back to?

If you give up on Christ will your life be better?

Is it worth it to walk away from God?

Why are you giving up on God when he did not give up on you?

These were all questions I had to answer. I was tired. I was broken. I felt alone. I was trapped by my feelings and there was no where to turn, no one to turn to.  I had to stand and make a decision. Often, it is in standing and making a decision to surrender to God that the rain falls and our desert becomes an oasis. The scripture shows us that it is when Jesus decided to stand in his decision to serve God that we see that  the devil could not withstand and the devil had to flee (Matthew 4: 10-11).

So my friend, here are a few things I want to remain with you:

• You must go through a desert
• Your desert will be rigorous and overwhelming
• You must make a decision to rely on God
• Your desert will end when you have learnt the lessons that the Holy Spirit wants to teach you. 
• Your desert will one day turn into an oasis
• Your desert is designed to break you by building you

A Season of Drought

Julie had been through this before or she thought she had. However, nothing could prepare her for this season of drought. Her life was like she was walking through the Sahara desert.  It was like she was in a wilderness like no other. Time seemed to stand still on her life and her problems. Nothing moved. This drought was like those videos that you watch with a halo of rain following the person at every step and every turn. Here drought followed her like that halo of rain. It was persistent, stubborn and unrelenting. Not even the Word seemed to give her comfort. To be honest, she could not even read the Word. Nothing made sense. Life seemed to drag on from one bleak event to another.

How did Job overcome his season of drought? This is a question that I had to ask has I type these words. He had lost his children, his wealth, his health, etc. Job was in despair; at one point Job even wanted to die. However, Job trust in God. He never renounced his faith. The drought was not to kill him. The bible says that Satan wanted to see what Job would do (in no so many words). Satan meant for the drought to destroy the man. However, God allows us to go through a season of drought so that He can separate us from the things that block us from Him. A season of drought draws us closer to God.  In fact, if we are smart and spiritually wise, a season of drought in a perfect time for reflection. Job humbled himself before God. In doing do, God restored all. However, if in this season we take up a position of entitlement, God will not be able to fully restore us.

Julie woke up one day and made a decision. It was like she flipped a switch in her mind. She shifted her perspective. It was time to learn in the season of drought. It was time to grow. So, every minute, every hour, and every day Julie made the conscious decision to change her perspective. She read the Word even if she did not feel like it, she prayed, she seeked the Holy Spirit and she worked with the little she had. She never complained; nor did she not bicker.  She made the most of every situation. Pretty soon Julie did not even realize that she had gone through a drought.

''Your perspective on life affects how you live your life''