Parched Faith

Do you remember the last time you had a REAL thirst for water – or anything for that matter? Do you remember how it felt to be parched and dried out? Needing relief and the rejuvenation that comes from a drink? Do you recall how a drink of water has restored your vision and refreshed you? Do you recall how your spirit was refreshed when you let faith bloom just a little in your life after you had acted as though it were unimportant?

Many that are reading this article will think that faith is not important because someone let them down. Maybe you were ran out of the church for who they were or what you had done in their past. Maybe you were disappointed in someone that was in the church with them and you let someone else determine if you would participate because you were too busy looking at someone else’s failures to work on your own. There are many reasons that we get to a place where we are in a dry and parched state in our lives. Spiritually it is because we fail to understand the redemptive cathartic value of being in a community that is striving to be implements of grace and mercy – however imperfectly. Emotionally we get there because we do not want to get hurt again and so we withdraw and find that loneliness and despair are actually the companions that we end out living our lives with. Physically we get there by not trusting anyone and insisting that we do it on our own, in our time and our way. Ultimately most of the parched times we experience is because we have not been open to others and the way of redemption that we have laid out for us. We insist that it be our agenda, our way and that everyone else must accept this way or be out of our lives.

The interesting part of people that have exiled themselves to a cynical world view have often used excuses to justify their withdrawal. Their withdrawal never has anything to do with their actions or thoughts, but what others have done TO them – or so they say. They never accept that perhaps God was asking them to open up and accept a new life – they are just upset that someone asked them to tithe, or not talk to them a certain way.

To be sure there are those that are honestly hurt by someone and need a spring to come up in the heat of the desert. Those people though grapple with their hurt and connect to a redemptive God through a community that tries to live in redemption every day. They are different than the cynical because they see and reach for the possibility that God is on their side and they will not be cast aside forever bitter about “the wrongs.” They instead look to the Prophet that reminds us that God brings new life to a parched place. God does indeed bring back joy, laughter and faith if we allow it to occur. This week will you allow it? Do you always want to be bitter and alone?

Blessings,
Pastor Greg