The Barren Desert represents a dry spell in your life. Maybe you haven’t dated in a long time, or nothing new or challenging is happening at work. You may find yourself having the same superficial conversations with your partner or spouse.
When things don’t seem to be moving at all and life feels dry you can feel like you are in a desert. You can’t simply leave the Barren Desert without first finding its treasure or you will certainly be invited back there time and time again.
Ask yourself in real life, what is beautiful about the desert? What are the true aspects about the desert, and what does it represent in real life terms? The external landscape will be reflected in your internal environment as well. Consider the life forms present in the desert. They are extremely resilient, thriving with very little to sustain them and making the most of the climate that surrounds them.
If you find yourself in the Barren Desert it means you are being invited into a period of time where you are building resilience. It is also an invitation to “look for water.” You will have to look deep, deep down because it’s not at the surface for you and you need water.
For example, the desert cactus also has a very tough exterior of protective barbs and in order to get to its juicy center you may have to break your skin. It can be a painful time to get to the core juice of your life but when you come out of the desert, you now have this gift of resilience that you didn’t have before.
Think of your journey from the Barren Desert in these terms:
- Accept It: Make peace with inhabitants of the landscape. What grows there?
- Know It: Recognize the life forms present in the landscape, and their qualities. Could there be a gift here? What is the truth of the desert cactus? Of the desert rat? Where is the water?
- Ask It: Apply the landscape characteristics to your life. What is missing here? Water. If my life were a natural landscape, where would I find the resources I need (the water)? What fills me emotionally? What makes you emotionally happy? Whatever is lacking in the landscape is what you need.
Have you been in a Barren Desert lately? What did you notice about your surroundings? What gifts did you find there? How did you make your way out? Please share your comments below.
In service and love,
Colette Baron-Reid
Thank you very much for this precious advice Colette.
my pleasure Moco!
I learnt to spend more time with God . Learnt to be more patient and wait on Him
Wow, I just did the other exercise and now saw this article. I realized I created this myself because I needed space, and now I need to let the water come in, at a nice even pace, allow things to blossom without being overwhelmed or rushed. Thanks again!
with pleasure Kat!