Death And Life

I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.

New Year’s Eve is always poignant: On one hand, the new year is on the horizon, glimmering with promise. On the other hand, another year is ending, and with it, our hopes and dreams for the last twelve months.

Maybe we’ve restored a relationship, accomplished a goal, taken our dream vacation.

Maybe we’ve experienced the loss of a loved one, the death of a dream, the end of a career.

Rarely, if ever, does life look the way we wanted or expected.

In the same way, for the first five or ten years of its life, the Joshua tree—which, despite its name, belongs to the Yucca genus and isn’t truly a tree—doesn’t look like much. Until it blooms it’s nothing more than an upright trunk with no branches. This plant grows slowly, and it takes years to bloom. Plus, the flowering rosettes die afterwards and there will be no more growth from them. The dried stems stay on the plant though, creating a mix of dead and new growth.

Yet even when parts of the Joshua tree seem lifeless, it’s still alive. It’s still growing. Though one part blossoms, another part does not—death and life are intertwined, part of the same tree.

When I feel like I’ve experienced the death of a dream, I remember that just as with the Joshua tree, it isn’t the end of the story. Life is still present. I love the promise in Isaiah: God is about to do something new. What’s more, he’s already begun. He makes pathways through the wilderness seasons of failed expectations, and he creates rivers in the wastelands of dashed hopes. He is always and already working—if only we’ll have the eyes to see it. Even when we experience hardships, we can look for the good. It’s still there.

Kristin

Today’s Act of Gratitude

As you look back at the last year, what were the unexpected moments of sweetness and some of the things and people for which you were most grateful? How can considering those bright spots of gratitude help as you turn to the year ahead?