However you have arrived here,
Take a moment.
Feel your way into your body.
Take these next few moments to be,
To breathe.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Welcome to a hit of hope.
Being in the middle of a desert is similar to standing by an ocean.
The expansive blue sky above and the scrappy clarity of life struggling to stay alive all around is humbling.
It's a reminder of how small we are as human beings and how big and wide the world.
Desert landscapes are haunting,
Gorgeous,
Dry.
Inhale.
Exhale.
I recently drove through a desert landscape of such breathtaking beauty.
I couldn't understand why everyone in the world wasn't living there.
To walk those crumbly hills,
To think deep and brooding thoughts.
Why I couldn't imagine anything or any place better.
Inhale.
Exhale.
The answer as to why that was not the case is obvious.
Water.
A desert landscape is as harsh and unforgiving as it is beautiful.
So it's no wonder we have the words oasis and mirage.
Inhale.
Exhale.
A professor of mine once said,
It is far more interesting to live into the questions rather than to always have the answer.
That seemed especially true as I drove through that desert.
And here were some questions that we might consider.
What is your oasis?
Where are you nourished?
Pause for a moment and think where are you really nourished?
Or you see,
The world is ready to play tricks on you.
The world is ready to offer you all kinds of false images of what is going to bring you nourishment and peace.
Hey,
You,
The world says,
This is the thing that will make you happy for the rest of time.
Or look here,
See this person,
See what they are doing.
That's what you need to do to be loved,
To be successful,
To fit in,
To be worthy.
Inhale.
Exhale.
How can you be intentional about finding your nourishing resources?
What really supports your growth?
And then how can you make sure those things are a part of your daily life?
Inhale.
Exhale.
Some other questions.
How can you be an oasis for those around you?
How can you feed their thirsting spirits?
How can you offer hospitality,
Community?
How can you create a sense of abundance and joy in the midst of harsh conditions?
Inhale.
Exhale.
One last thought,
It could be tempting to believe that if you could only find an oasis,
You could live in perfect and luxuriant conditions forever.
But we know nothing in the outside world lasts forever.
Nothing is perfect forever.
Nothing lasts.
Nothing is perfect except the light that is in you.
The light that is always there.
The light inside of you is always ready,
Always waiting to be an oasis,
Nourishing you,
Bringing you a sense of abundance and life,
No matter what the conditions are surrounding you.
Inhale.
Exhale.
Go in.
Arrive in the light inside.
Find your own source of abundance and life.
Stay.
Breathe.
Live light and shine.
