The Desert

The desert was a cruel place. It taunted you, teased you, and showed you everything about yourself that you wished to forget. It offered no relief to your suffering. Even the winds were hot – merciless in their vengeance.

The desert was sand and hot. Despair and regret. Suffering and sorrow.

It was crowded, yet lonely.

Many travelers fought the desert and lost. They trudged forward slowly, hoping beyond hope that each new step would bring them closer to a breath of fresh air.

There was no room to breathe in the desert. The heat suffocated, and it felt like you were drowning, although there was not even a hint of water.

The sun, which was once a symbol of hope in a much better life, now jeered at the travelers from its seat in the sky. It was the source of the heat, the source of the suffering.

The travelers were weary; weary of this journey and weary of their burdens. They each carried their own baggage; some had more than others. But no matter how many backpacks they carried or suitcases they dragged behind them, they each felt their burden was the worst.

It had become their game now. Who had the most to carry? In their delusional minds it was a triumph if you had more to struggle with than the traveler next to you.

Yet some were stronger than this. They knew even if their load was smaller or larger it still stung the heart all the same. Those few travelers knew that eventually their dedication to their hard journey would pay off. And although they could not even glimpse at it now, they knew a respite was coming. So they walked on, and on. Even when their feet were so bruised and battered that every hesitant touch hurt, they kept going; clinging to the hope of a new life they had heard only whispers of.

They did not know how long they had been walking, or when they had started. Was it when they said this? Or did that? They were not even sure when the baggage had started piling up. But they knew when they had reached the end.

A breeze began to blow through their hair, yet not the harsh winds they were accustomed to; it was cool and gentle. Not only did it blow the sand from their hair, but the dust from their hearts.

Soon, little by little, the heat began to subside as well.

It was then they saw the most glorious sight they had ever laid eyes upon.

A beach.

And at the place where the tortuous desert sand met the cool beach sand, stood a Man, waiting for them. When they reached Him He smiled and embraced them while relieving them of their baggage. He gestured toward the water’s edge, and without hesitation they ran into the surf.

They were instantly rewarded. All of their wounds were washed clean, and they hurt no more. Their hearts felt lighter and they realized all they had done wrong, but knew that it no longer mattered.

They were free of the desert. It no longer held them captive. They were free, and they were loved. They had respite in a glorious paradise.

They laughed and they played in the ocean’s tide, washing their selves clean of the hurt the desert had inflicted upon them.

And the Man watched it all, just like He had been watching all their lives. They were home now, safe under His watchful and tender care, and they would be harmed no more.