  Spiritual
This week: Spending Time in the Desert Edited by: Jeff  
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"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary.
To one without faith, no explanation is possible."
-- Thomas Aquinas
Spirituality Trivia of the Week: Deserts, characterized as a barren land with very low amounts of precipitation, take up nearly one-third of our planet's land area. The two largest deserts on the planet are actually "cold deserts" (the Antarctic and Arctic), while two of the deserts featured prominently in Christian Bible settings are the Arabian and Syrian Deserts, which together span nearly 1.2 million square miles.
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SPENDING TIME IN THE DESERT
While my wife and I were at church last weekend, the speaker made a really succinct and profound statement that's stuck with me ever since. It was in reference to the people in the Bible, but I think equally applies to all of us in our daily lives. He said, "The desert can be a place of refuge, but it's also a place where you're tested. And for the majority of our lives, most of us find ourselves in one of three places: in the desert, coming out of the desert, or going into the desert." In other words, most of us are at a point in our lives where we're in the middle of a difficult time, just coming out of a difficult time, or just about to head into a difficult time.
I think most of us, if you were to pick any point in our personal history, could say, "At that particular moment I was either going through something, about to go through something, or just finishing something." It's the nature of the human condition; we're defined by experience and not all of those experiences are necessarily good ones. In fact, many of us learn more from the tough experiences, the painful experiences, the unpleasant experiences, than we do from the ones that make us feel happy and content and where everything goes according to plan.
There's a tendency, especially in our modern society, to question "why" bad things happen to us. We're good people, we mean well, we even do nice things for other people once in a while. So why does bad stuff happen? Why did a loved one get cancer? Why did I get into a car accident last week? Why weren't my mom and dad better parents to me? It's natural to question these things because we have a natural inclination to believe that good things are supposed to happen to good people and bad things are supposed to happen to bad people. But it's a mistake to think that nothing bad will ever happen to you if you're a good person.
For one, we're surrounded by other flawed human beings who make mistakes. Maybe the reason you got into a car accident isn't being karma is unfairly punishing you even though you're a good person; maybe it's just that the guy in the other car wasn't paying attention and ran a stop sign. And yeah, maybe your parents weren't great parents and you - as a good person - deserve better, but your parents are also fallible human beings who are just as prone to screwing things up as the rest of us. Sometimes maybe the bad things that happen to us aren't the things we deserve and aren't some form of divine punishment, but merely the result of the fact that we're flawed creations that sometimes make mistakes.
And secondly, sometimes those bad experiences are what end up being the best things for us in the long run. The loss of a loved one is never easy, but perhaps it's understanding that loss on a personal level that allows you to help someone else when they're going through a similar experience later in life. Heck, maybe that loss even reminds you of the good things about that person if your relationship wasn't all that great. If you are a believer in divine intervention, perhaps that bad thing that's happening to you isn't meant to be a bad thing at all, but rather a momentary discomfort so that you can learn a greater lesson that will contribute in a longer-lasting and more meaningful way to the rest of your life.
The bottom line is that we're all going to spend a considerable amount of our time in the desert. It's the human condition. It's not all sunshine and rainbows and good fortune raining down on us. If we're lucky, hopefully we have all those things too... but there will be times of struggle and hardship and that test our limits. Knowing that, we should be prepared for those times. And not just in terms of keeping an open mind and trying to understand what we can learn from those experiences, but being prepared to endure them as they happen. If you're already in the desert, it's too late to undertake the preparations necessary to minimize the discomfort and suffering that you'll endure there. Prepare for the loss of a loved one by being there for people who have lost theirs so they can in turn comfort you when the time comes. Prepare for financial hardship by giving generously to others so that they, in turn, give generously to you when you really need it. Be a generous and compassionate person by sharing, giving, and reciprocating; that's the kind of preparation that will help ensure when it's your time to slog through the sand, that other people will be there for you the same way you were there for them.
Until next time,
-- Jeff
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I encourage you to check out the following spiritual items:
Being lovesick for someone you've never met before, at least not in this life
A poem about how nature can change one's perceptions of oneself, of everything.
The thief's perspective on Christ.
Looking for a safe place to give and receive truth.
Will I be forgiven?
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Feedback from my last newsletter on cornerstones:
Marci Missing Everyone  writes, "Thank you for the trivia about the Swastika. It was quite interesting. I love learning little tidbits like this."
You're welcome! I like trivia like this too. 
embe writes, "Hello Jeff, Thank you for your inspiring newsletter. My poem attached, the cornerstones that saved my Dad. "Invalid Item" "
Thanks for writing in and sharing your poem with us!
Quick-Quill  writes, "This is a very thought provoking newsletter. I got started reading and my mind went directly to the "mission" of my church;Pray, Preach, Publish. Then I read on and realized this isn't what you meant. I thought, ok Doctrine and I tried mentally naming my doctrinal beliefs, even looking them up as I missed a few. Still that wasn't what you challenged. I read on and at the end I sit here wondering how do "I" buttonhole my fundamental beliefs into a cornerstone or four to be exact? This has me in a quandary, but for today but I'll set this as my cornerstone 'Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all else shall be added unto you.'"
I think it's definitely an ongoing process for many people. Heck, my church didn't figure out and really distill their cornerstones until just now... and the church has been around for fifteen years! So I think there's something to be said in taking your time and developing your cornerstones over a period of time.
bonzo1964 writes, "I like the saying "Be the change you want to see in the world!" Also, the teachings of Jesus are my roadmap through life. I teach my Grandchildren that "Do unto others as you'd have others do unto you!". I am in love with God for He is truly awesome and has turned my life around and made me the happy married woman of 38 years, 3 children, and 7 grandchildren! Once I thought I had nothing to live for. Now I am complete and find that the cornerstone of my life is LOVE. This is the greatest gift God can give us...His love. My days are filled with peace and joy and these too are my dreams and hopes, the cornerstones of my life. Thank you for posting this! We all need to think about it. Regards, Daddy's Girl, Bonnie"
Thank you so much for writing in and sending this touching and heartening comment!
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Spiritual: January 15, 2014 Issue [#6103]
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