Mamas*Little*Treasures: Searching for Neon Signs in the Desert

“Oh Lord, take Your plow to my fallowed ground
Let Your blade dig down to the soil of my soul
For I’ve become dry and dusty, Lord I know there must be
Richer earth lying below
For I’ve been living in Laodicea
And the fire that once burned bright, I’ve let it grow dim
And the very Word I swore that I would die for all has been forgotten
As the world’s become my friend”

Lyrics by Steve Camp
“Living in Laodicea"

We live in northern Indiana. Our family loves to drive through the countryside and look at all of the beautiful farms in this part of the country. As we are driving along, whether going to the grocery store, the dentist, or to the hardware store, we frequently comment on the progress of this farmer's corn field or that farmer's soy beans. It is truly a wonderful site, all through spring, summer, and into the harvest months, to watch the crops grow from tiny little shoots to towering stalks of corn with their tassels golden in the sunlight. Some of the fields have low spots where little ponds develop when we get lots of rain. But the farmers just go on around those low-lying areas and plant and plow anyway. But then there are times when the rains don't come. And the fields grow weary and wilted, desperate for a few drops of rain. Sometimes we feel like that, too.

It is not uncommon for the people around us, and even in our own families, to find ourselves walking through the barren places of the soul. Too much heartache, too little money, too many problems, too much to carry, day after day. We lose sight of what is really going on in the midst of all of this despair. We are worn out, weary, exhausted, and as we strive to sort all of it out, we tend to be distracted from the very One Who is right there, walking along beside of us. Sometimes we begin to look at ways to "solve" the problem on our own, without trusting in God's grace and mercy. That's when we are drawn away from His Word, His truth, and His presence, while we are searching among the rubble and ruin of this world for answers.

But we will never find the solution to our problems in all of the bright, flashy, neon signs that constantly grab out attention and scream, "This way! Here's what you need! This will solve your problem!" So whether we are struggling with our finances or our weight, our marriage or our children, our addictions or our loneliness . . . . there is not one, single, solitary neon sign that will lead us in the right direction. No, it is only when we finally come face-to-face with the reality that this world has absolutely nothing that can ultimately fill that empty place inside each one of our hearts.

Is it time for you, and for me, to allow God into those "fallow fields" so that He can reach into your soul and work the "richer earth lying below"? Why do we resist? All the other so-called solutions haven't worked yet, and they never will. Once we allow His Spirit to touch us, deep within our heart where we hide, He will give us the grace, mercy, strength, and perseverance to walk through any field of sorrow that we might encounter. We are not alone, ever, but we don't always remember that. Makes life more difficult than it needs to be ;o) Jesus said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." I believe that, and when the days are dark and the pathway is littered with my shattered dreams, He is there. I am not alone.

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