TransformSample

About a week ago, I woke up feeling heavy. It was right after I received a phone call from one of my former students, the last person I had expected to call. She had gotten into some trouble, but this was not the first time this past year. Drugs, alcohol, and a lot of lies had become the new normal for this girl - and my heart was broken. 

It’s not uncommon to wake up in the morning feeling heavy. In our ministries, we might even be praised for our great amount of empathy or for our ability to sit and listen to others. However, we might find ourselves walking around with these heavy conversations lingering like sandbags tied to our ankles. We might approach our days with fake smiles and heavy limbs trying to do ministry but feeling like we only have a couple more sips of water in the desert. Our minds may even wander to times where we have had an abundance of water; a time where the smile on our face was genuine and our words of wisdom flowed so easily. And it’s at that moment that we realize how far we have wandered into the desert. You are not alone.

In Isaiah 48:21, Isaiah declares that God’s people did not thirst when He led them through the deserts. “They did not thirst when he led them through the deserts; he made water flow for them from the rock; he split the rock and the water gushed out”.

God made water flow from the rock. Why can’t God allow His living water to flow in your own desert?

Let’s take a look at Deuteronomy 8:15.

"He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint.”

Sometimes ministry can truly feel like a desert. We might feel like the hurt and the pain never end in these seasons. But are we allowing His word to remain sovereign over our hearts? Are we allowing His love and promises to be our refreshment in the midst of the pain? 

- Kaitlynn Caputo