This month in Chile, we are literally living in the desert. We have taken a few short road trips, and the only thing to gaze at for miles and miles is the color brown, dirt, and – in my opinion – ugly mountains in the distance. The town is called Calama. Our primary ministry this month is to teach English to students at a local Christian high school. The kids have been wonderful, patient with us in ascertaining their level of knowledge, and full of laughter at our antics in the front of the classroom. We also had the privilege of traveling to a city along the coast last weekend to partake in a two-day youth retreat.
Beyond that, we have been building a beautiful relationship with our incredible host family – Marcos, Polly, Tito and Valentina. They have been taking such good care of us! I have laughed so much with them despite the language barrier, and Valentina and I have developed a special relationship centered on our love of singing/dancing/music. She always comes up to me with a hug and the words “My sister!” in English! (Remember how I talked about praying specifically and boldly last month? Well, one of the things I prayed for for this month was a teenager to invest in. Yep, He provided once again! I’m both speechless and not even surprised). The Lord blessed me with Polly especially, because she is a nurse, and I was sick the morning we arrived here. (Apparently, I was given incorrect information on the parasites taking up residence in my body, and all last month I was still a parasite playground). She procured medicine for me for free, and I am hopefully now parasite-free! I may or may not have said these words in desperation the other day: “I don’t want to be a playground for parasites anymore…. I just want to be a playground for the Holy Spirit!” But seriously.
I may be physically living in the desert of northern Chile this month, but it would be inaccurate to turn the desert into a metaphor for my current spiritual well-being. I have been able to spend hours each day sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to His voice and seeking Him about so many things. My good pal Janelly (you’ve heard me mention her, I’m sure), said that the Lord spoke these words to her at the beginning of the month when she asked Him why we were placed here: “Think of all the people I have brought to the desert (i.e. Moses, the Israelites, John the Baptist, Jesus, etc.). I speak to people in the desert. I call people in the desert.”
Yes, the desert is a dryyyy place. Our host family said they remember it raining one time, hard, for maybe two minutes, and that was it. There isn’t a lot to do in the desert. It isn’t very beautiful. But it is a prime location to hear from and seek the Lord. He is all there is. He is your flowing water. He is your manna.
I remembered a conversation with my host from the Philippines about the desert fathers – monks- going to the desert to do spiritual warfare, and did a little research on it.
The monks went to the desert to seek the Lord.
It was a training ground for them.
They learned what to let go of, and what to hold onto in the desert.
I have been praying a lot about what the Lord has for me post-race while in the desert. I believe the Lord placed me here at just the right time. Not only have I had the time and space to dream, process, and seek God’s heart on my future, but He actually placed me with a team containing people who my next step may include! He is so good, so wise … my true Shepherd.
I wanted to share with all of you an exercise that I’ve really been stepping into on the Race that has tremendously impacted my intimacy with God. I keep learning all these awesome ways to seek Him and spend time with Him, forgetting that maybe one of you would benefit from hearing what it looks like for me! I combined an exercise I learned from my awesome Squad Mentor Beka, and a contemplation exercise from “The Spiritual Disciplines Handbook.”
With no further adieu, here is something that has helped me to cultivate greater intimacy with the Lord. Feel free to make it your own! Oh and please do let me know, if you try it, how it goes. 🙂
Find a space and time where you will not be interrupted, where you feel at ease, and where you can focus.
Take some deep breaths to relax yourself.
Become conscious of being in Jesus’ presence (because we are always in His presence!) Feel free to use your imagination! Where are you and Jesus? Somewhere in nature? A coffee shop? Sitting at your kitchen table? Drink in your surroundings.
Take note of your emotions. How do you feel, being in Jesus’ presence? Comfortable? Eager? Nervous? Peaceful?
Place your palms face-down on your lap to symbolize letting things go. What burdens/worries/questions do you need to give over to Jesus? Tell Him.
Next, flip your palms up as a symbol of receiving from Jesus. What does He want to give you/say to you?
Carry on the dialogue as long as needed.
(Instead of doing the palms up and down thing, you can also just ask Jesus something or say something to Him once you are aware of His presence, and wait for His response).
If this feels at all awkward to you the first time or two that you try it, that is normal. I felt like an idiot when I first tried it, but it has become a discipline for me, and I kid you not, I have hung out with Jesus in my imagination in my hammock, at the beach, at coffee shops, on a couch, and in this tree house. It makes Him feel so much more real, and it helps me listen to His voice.
Here is an example of how I used this exercise recently when I needed to seek God about post-race options …
I pictured myself climbing the ladder of an incredible tree house in the woods. The inside looked like a log cabin. Jesus was making us coffee when I walked in, which made me laugh. We went to the back deck, dangled our feet over the edge, and gazed out at the canopy of trees. (At this point, I was aware of Jesus’ presence. I put my palms face-down on my lap as I prepared to give some things to Jesus).
In my imagination, I picked up a brick that said “post-race” on it. Jesus said to me, “Can I carry that for you?” And so, as He held open a backpack, I dropped the brick inside. I went through this with several burdens I have been carrying. I somehow knew that when Jesus picked that backpack up, it would be as light as a feather. (At this point, I flipped my palms face-up to signify receiving).
Jesus unexpectedly asked me, “Why do you love trees so much?” So, I explained how I love the symbolism of trees for Christians, and said I want to be that tree that has deep roots planted by the streams of the Spirit and who bears much fruit. Then Jesus said to me, “Go where you can be that tree.” I looked at Him a little exasperatedly, and said, “But that could be anywhere!” Then, He brought something to mind… Something I cannot yet share with you. But He spoke very clearly to me about a specific location through trees (He knows how much I love them). And He told me its up to me where I go next, but that in this specific place, He does have some special gifts for me. (I am waiting on some confirmations before announcing what He showed me).
That is how I used this exercise. It really helps me to focus, and I love opening my imagination to be used by the Holy Spirit in this way. I hope you give it a try!
