Spiritual Life: Grow deep roots for dry seasons in your life
by Timothy J. Ledbetter / © 2018, Tri-City Herald. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Recently while walking out in our shrub-steppe desert, I noticed that at least one species of sage has been trying to bloom. The tenacity of these remarkable plants is rather impressive. The only way sage and other desert plants can survive is to put down deep, deep roots.
‘Dry spells in life’
There are many types of dry spells in life—mental, emotional, relational, spiritual, even physical. Respectively, we may describe such droughts as writer’s block, the “blahs,” meaninglessness or burnout.
Yes, dry spells can and do happen to everyone at one time or another, to the most creative, intact, connected and grounded persons among us. No one is immune from hot, parching seasons in life.
The issue isn’t our dry spells, per se. It is how we find ways to survive and thrive, how we cope and find hope when our senses of being, belonging and behaving are not lush and green with vibrant growth.
In two words, the answer is deep roots.
Deep roots sunk down into that which truly nourishes and sustains—this is a key part of blooming in the deserts of life.
Thinking about things that matter; allowing ourselves to feel and not suppress profound feelings of sorrow, delight, bewilderment or even anger; caring and daring to be vulnerable with those we love and those we don’t understand; seeking the foundational and divine life-giving sources of inspiration and meaningfulness—these are the “waters” that our life-roots need to make the most [of].
Dryland farmers know exactly how important caring for the soil is for preserving enough moisture for good crops. We are no different.
We are humans, called to be humane in our conduct, needing good humor to ease the bumps along the journey. And we need enough moisture from above and below to bloom, even in the desert.
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