Part 3: Cultivating Hope in the Desert Seasons of Life

Ok, it has taken me a really long time to get back to this series. Sorry about that. :) In Silencing Depression Part 1, I shared a little bit of my story. In Part 2, I talked about how God Leads Us Into the Desert. This next part really helps me hold onto hope when all I can see is desert ahead.

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God Has a Purpose for the Desert

Our Father is more interested in shaping our character than making us happy. The lessons we learn in the desert will be necessary for our future. The desert is often a time of pruning, because He wants us to grow and be fruitful. Jesus says in John 15:1-2, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful."

Pruning

It's interesting that every branch is pruned, not just the dead wood. God isn't simply content with purifying the obvious maladies in us. He continues to prune even the healthy vines so they will bear even more fruit. When we first come to Christ we realize how sinful we truly are, and as we repent God shapes us into His image. We think there's nothing left to prune, until God slowly reveals other areas that need some work- like being a little lazy or selfish, spending too much, being irritable or indulging a little too often. Every time we think we're fine, that's usually when the Lord will reveal another layer of vines in need of pruning.

In Alicia Britt Chole's book, Anonymous, she shares a similar analogy about trees in winter.

What the plenty of summer hides, the nakedness of winter reveals: infrastructure. Fullness often distracts from foundations. But in the stillness of winter, the trees' true strength is unveiled... In spiritual winters, our fullness is thinned so that, undistracted by our giftings, we can focus upon our character. In the absence of anything to measure, we are left with nothing to stare at except for our foundation. Risking inspection, we begin to examine the motivations that support our deeds, the attitudes that influence our words, the dead wood otherwise hidden beneath our busyness... The Father's work in us does not sleep- though in spiritual winters he retracts all advertisement. And when he does so, he is purifying our faith, strengthening our character, conserving our energy, and preparing us for the future.

Just as a tree's true form is revealed during winter, we are exposed during a desert season of life. But although the desert may leave us vulnerable, it isn't meant to shame us. God has a purpose in mind.

Discipline Creates Character

God uses the desert seasons to discipline us and impart character traits that we desperately need. When the pruning becomes painful, I constantly remind myself that, "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (Heb. 12:11) Some character traits are only learned from discipline- like perseverance and endurance. Discipline requires practice. And practice doesn't make perfect, but it does make progress.

After I had our fourth child, I really struggled getting household chores done. My sweet husband came up with a great solution- the kids needed to help. We wanted them to learn how to do different chores, so he created a chart that listed everything that needed to be done and assigned each of the kids to complete daily, weekly, and monthly chores. At first, they rioted. It wasn't fair. We were so mean. They wanted to watch tv and play. None of their friends had to do chores. They fought over who did what and refused to work together. It was hard on everyone, and I for one considered just letting things go back to normal. But Ted was persistent. He patiently taught them how to do each task and gave them feedback after they tried. He checked their progress and wouldn't allow them to rush through it or play until it was all finished.

I'm really proud of the kids. They eventually started getting up at the crack of dawn on Saturdays, just so they could finish their chores and play as long as possible. They work together and will trade off just to be nice to each other. Daniel recently told me after finishing his list, "I feel really sorry for my friend at school. We want to grow up and share an apartment. But the only chore he knows how to do is to play video games." We both laughed. :)

Lessons from the Desert

God does more than just shape our character in the desert seasons. He teaches us total dependence on Him. When you're desperate, God will provide. Whether it's manna for the Israelites, or money to pay your bills, the Lord takes care of His children. I can't even count the number of times someone anonymously sent us a check in the mail, we got an unexpected refund, or just found cash out of the blue (an old birthday card, pile of papers, even in our egg carton?!).

God teaches us that He is faithful and can be trusted. He will fulfill His Word. Even if it takes years, like it did for Abraham and Sarah. Many times we give up before we see the answer, or we forget what we prayed for, so we don't notice when God does answer our prayer. Throughout the Bible, God instructed His people to remember what He had done, by writing it down, going back and reading the stories, even constructing visual reminders (stones of remembrances). When we remember how God has been faithful in the past, our own faith is strengthened and we trust Him more. Every time I go back and read my journals, I can't help but be encouraged that God is faithful. I've been challenged lately to write down my prayers so that I can see more clearly when God answers them.

Another lesson we learn in the desert is that our hope comes from Him alone, not our circumstances. How many times have we complained that if we just had this or that, we would be fulfilled? That dream job, more money, the perfect figure, a soul mate, fewer responsibilities, a more exciting life,... does it ever end? I'm definitely guilty of it. It's so easy to get into that "if only" mentality. Then resentment seeps in, gratitude fades away, and our eyes turn their focus from God to our perceived "lack." Our circumstances dictate our happiness. But Jesus wants our eyes to be fixed on Him alone. Then we can say with Paul, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength." (Phil. 4:11-13)

In the desert, we learn compassion for others. After we experience suffering, we can empathize with people in pain. We understand the difficult seasons of life, and if we have grown from them, we can offer encouragement. But one of the best things about sharing another's hurt is that we can rejoice with them when it's over. When several friends lost their jobs in the recent recession, we understood because Ted had lost his before. We prayed fervently with them, and were overjoyed when they were later hired. Being in true community with others means walking with them through difficulties, but it also means watching God restore and heal them. When we share in Christ's sufferings, we can share in His healing power and hope for ourselves and others. And it's beautiful to see that God can use everything for His glory and for our good.

In Wendy Blight's book, Hidden Joy in a Dark Corner, she recounts the painful story of being raped and the subsequent questions about why God allowed it to happen. But as she searched God's Word for answers, she found His peace. After all she had been through, she was able to say:

Our suffering is not meaningless because God has a plan. He asks us to trust in that plan, and we can because we trust in Him... He intends to use every gift, every talent, and every life experience, good and bad, for His purpose and His glory... God alone knows exactly what you and I must endure in order to form His character in us. It is in our trials that God refines us and removes our impurities... The tough question for us as His children is this: Are we willing to accept His refinement?

God has a purpose for the desert. We usually can't see it while we are in the middle of the desert season. But as we continue to journey forward and fix our eyes on Jesus, we can learn to trust that He has planned our path for a reason.

Part 4: God Orders a Season for the Desert, is next!

Part 2: Cultivating Hope in the Desert Seasons of Life

**If you want to read Part 1, go here.**

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God Leads Us Into the Desert

"So I am going to take her into the desert again; there I will win her back with words of love." (Hosea 2:14)

God wants to get us away from distractions, to be isolated, show us our own self-reliance, and realize our need for Him. He wants us to spend quality time alone with Him, getting to know Him better and love Him more.

The Desert

So what is the "desert"? It's that place that you're stuck in, where you can't find a way out, none of your efforts help, and it goes on and on seemingly forever. Maybe you can't find a job and you've exhausted all of your resources. Or it's finances; you just can't seem to keep your head above water no matter how hard you try. Or maybe it's a relationship with your husband or your child or your good friend. There's a distance there, or even outright disconnection, and it seems impossible to fix. Maybe it's a health problem that won't go away. Or the loss of a dream you held dear in your heart. Or it could even just be a period of numbness, like life is passing you by but you can't seem to engage in it.

Whatever your "desert" is, the common theme is feeling stuck and thinking that things will never change. It is filled with trials, testing, and even suffering.

Why God takes us

Why does God take us into the desert? Sometimes it's because of our sin that He has us stay put until we surrender completely to Him. The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years because of their disobedience to God. Over and over God had to allow suffering before they would finally turn to God. Hosea 5:15 says, "I will abandon my people until they have suffered enough for their sins and come looking for me. Perhaps in their suffering they will try to find me."

God will often allow the desert time because He wants to test and increase our faith. Many heroes of the faith have walked this lonely road- Abraham waiting for an heir and then being told to sacrifice his promised son, Job losing everything he had, Paul's many beatings, jailings and shipwrecks as he shared the Gospel- to name a few.

Many times God uses the desert time to teach us, strengthen our character, rid us of selfish ambition, learn humility and dependence on Him. He uses the desert to shape us into His image. Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers, and then falsely accused and spent years in prison. But he learned patience, humility, and trust in God during those difficult years. When he had the chance to get even with his brothers, instead he responded with love, saying, "Do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you... So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God." (Gen. 45:5,8)

We will all experience suffering

It's definitely not a popular message, but it's true. God allows suffering to come upon His people. There are some believers that talk about pain as if it is only caused by sin. They say that if you're sick, you don't have enough faith because God always wants you to be well. If you're having a hard time, you just need to believe you already have the answer and then it will come.

But the Bible does not guarantee an easy life for anyone, let alone Christians. In fact in 1 Peter 4:12 it says, "Do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you." Even Jesus, "son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered." (Heb. 5:8) We will all experience the desert seasons.

My times are in Your hands (Ps. 31:15)

Recently I read again about Corrie ten Boom (in Life Lessons from the Hiding Place). This courageous Dutchwoman helped hide Jews in her home from the Nazis during WWII. After her family was caught, Corrie spent nearly a year in prison and in a death camp in Germany. Her father, sister, and nephew all died in prison, and afterwards she discovered her release was a clerical error- a week later all the women her age were sent to the gas chambers.

But despite the horrors she endured, she left with a determination that "there is no pit so deep, the love of God is not deeper still." In response to someone saying that it must have been her faith that helped her survive, she said no, "My faith was so weak, so unstable... no, it was Jesus! He who said, 'I am with you to the end of the world.' It was His eternal arms that carried me through. He was my certainty. If I tell you that it was my faith, you might say if you have to go through suffering, 'I don't have Corrie ten Boom's faith.' But if I tell you it was Jesus, then you can trust that He who helped me through will do the same for you."

Corrie's family strongly believed in the sovereignty of God. That "He who is all-loving and always good determines the paths His children take, allowing pain and suffering to come to them for an eventually good purpose... All our times are in God's hands, even the difficult ones."

God chooses to use the desert time- discipline, testing, and suffering- in order to make us more like Him. In Psalm 37:23 it says, "The steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord." And "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." (Prov. 16:9)

But just as God is sovereign, He is also loving. God is not some distant being that leaves us alone in the world, nor is He an evil dictator that sets out to punish us for every mistake. He loves us, and because of that love, He wants the best for us. However, the best isn't always what's easiest. "Have you forgotten how good parents treat children, and that God regards you as his children?... It's the child he loves that he disciplines; the child he embraces, he also corrects." (Heb. 12:5-6 MSG) Those of you with kids know that you can't give in to every desire your children have. Sometimes discipline and pain benefit them far more than fun and easiness. This is called "tough love."

*****

Part 3: God Has a Purpose for the Desert coming soon!

Silencing Depression: Cultivating Hope in the Desert Seasons of Life, Part 1

Last week I went to a women's conference in New Mexico. Our band, Finding Cadence, lead worship and I spoke at one of the workshops. My class was titled Silencing Depression: Cultivating Hope in the Desert Seasons of Life.

The whole weekend was amazing. The main speaker, Renay West, was anointed and used her testimony as a survivor of childhood abuse to speak about healing and freedom from bondage. The women were incredible worshipers, and they really responded to the services and classes.

I went feeling very dry, but knowing that God had appointed this event, so I expected Him to do something. And I left feeling more hopeful and expectant than I have been in a very long time. Even more, I feel like God began to heal places in my heart that have been open wounds until now. I have been living out what I shared in the class, trying to find hope in the desert. So as I taught, I was reminding myself as much as the women I was speaking to.

Ted recorded my class, but for some reason the tape didn't turn out so you can't hear anything. I'm really bummed, because I was going to post a link for some other ladies that need the message of hope. So in lieu of a video, I wanted to at least write about what God shared with me. Since there's a lot, I'll just post some of it today, and I'll continue with more in the next few days. I hope it encourages those of you desert wanderers.

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The Bible says that we will overcome by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony (Rev. 12:11). So I'd like to share some of mine.

I grew up in a pastor's home. Even though we loved the Lord and served Him, many in our family struggled with depression, including me. I was shy and sensitive. I married my childhood sweetheart at 19, and a year later I had fulfilled my life long dream- to be married to Ted and have kids. That's when I realized I needed bigger dreams. :)

After I had my daughter Emily, I had really bad post-partum depression. I was hearing things, having panic attacks, and wanted to hurt myself. At that time, I didn't support the idea of counseling or medication. I grew up believing that if you had a problem, you "prayed through" until you got an answer. I would pray and pray, but nothing changed. I felt like I was in a deep black hole and no one could help me.

And then one day, God miraculously healed me. I was at the funeral of a pastor who had died very young, and for whatever reason, God chose to touch me that day. It was like a huge cloud lifted and I could see and think clearly again. I started writing songs and poems out of the blue, and I felt peace and joy for the first time in my life.

I didn't have any more symptoms of depression until almost three years later. I was eight months pregnant with my second child, Daniel, and I could feel it coming on like a storm. I recognized the heaviness as it took over, and after my son was born I again had severe post-partum depression, even wanting to die. After five months I finally began an intensive outpatient program, with counseling and medication. Slowly, I started to mend.

I share that because I know so many are living with shame about having to take medication. I know God can heal people in an instant, but so often He chooses to use time and process. I don't know why He chose to heal me the first time miraculously and then later with meds, but I do know He has used it for His glory. I have much more compassion and understanding because I've had to take medication, and it seems like whenever I talk about it openly, other women can freely admit to the same.

After a year of counseling and medication, I started to feel sane again. After that, I had periods of time where I'd struggle with depression, but not to the depths as before. Four years after I began counseling and meds, I had my third child, Timothy. This time around I didn't have any depression, praise the Lord! Things in life were going really well, too. We were raising support to be home missionaries, loving ministry and people. We started a band and I began doing art. We were very fulfilled.

Then things started to slowly fall apart. We couldn't raise enough money to meet our budget, so Ted had to get a second job. The pastor at our church, who we were very close to at one point, left for moral failure. We had to take the money we had raised as a band for our first album and divide it between us, just so we could pay our rent. Our band dissolved, and I stopped writing songs and doing art. Ted continued to try for different jobs that would pay the bills, but it seemed like every door was slammed in his face.

God had spoken such beautiful dreams about what He wanted us to do in ministry and in life. We left our church feeling certain that He would show us where to go and what to do. Instead, we found ourselves wandering in the desert for the past two years. God provided manna for us. I can't even recount how many times someone gave us money or a reimbursement check would show up for something. He has been faithful to provide. But it has been a difficult process of not knowing where we're going, when we'll get there, or how things will be when we finally do.

Out of this time, God began to speak to me some truths about the desert. So when I was asked to speak about depression and hope to the women in New Mexico, I knew what He wanted me to share:

1. God leads us into the desert

2. God has a purpose for the desert

3. God orders a season for the desert

4. God provides streams in the desert

I'll save the rest for later. :)