"What makes the desert beautiful is that somewhere it hides a well."
from The Little Prince
A good friend once told me that people often come to the Arizona desert to find themselves. Having now lived in Arizona for nearly three years, I've learned to appreciate why that is. There is something about the barrenness of the desert, the silence of it, that lends itself to thinking...praying...being.
Lent is meant to be a desert experience for us. It is a time to strip away all of the extra things. It is a time to pray, to fast, to give alms. And why do we do all of these things? As one of my fourth grade students put so concisely, these are ways we create more room for God in our lives. We do these things to help us find God's well in the desert.
And yes, it's scary because it may not be what we thought it would be. We may hear that what God wants for us is different than what others are asking of us and/or what we are demanding of ourselves. It's scary, but it's necessary because only when we have emptied ourselves in this desert experience do we have room to truly be filled by God's loving grace and guidance.
God's well for us may, indeed, be hidden in the desert. This Lenten season, how will you empty yourself so that you can find it? How will you prepare to hear God's voice and heed his call?
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