Desserts in the Desert

"The desert is only a season in our life. When He has accomplished what He wants in our lives in the desert, He will bring us out. He has given us a mission to fulfill that can only be fulfilled after we have spent adequate time in preparation in the desert. Fear not the desert, for it is there you will hear God's voice like never before."

[Os Hillman, Today God Is First (Pennsylvania: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 2000), 24.]

So... this morning I woke up craving chocolate. Now, 7 a.m. after indulging myself in several mini chocolate bars whose names I can't pronounce and flavors I'm not quite sure of other than they were delicious (my brother brought them home from his tour of Europe), here I am contemplating why I don't start EVERY day with chocolate!

As an emotional eater, I'm surprised these chocolate bars escaped the last couple of weeks untouched. Several times recently, I have found myself feeling a little detached. The path my life seemed to be on for so long is shifting so rapidly that I am hustling to stay on track with this new pace, and I feel as though to escape the marathon outside - a marathon I've trained for by sitting on the couch - I've ducked in a small, stifling theater, out of breath to watch a 3D movie of my life in silence sans the glasses.

I've been so stressed lately, but do you know what stressed spelled backwards is??
DESSERTS!
 

In the midst of my desert, I'm choosing to indulge in dessert! God didn't intend for us to rush through every day just checking things off a to-do list like I seem to do sometimes. Every day is a gift from God, and we need to alter our pace in order to indulge in the simple pleasures with which He has blessed us.

Pause a moment to inhale the smell of fresh brewed coffee, to breathe in the fresh air and watch the clouds drift slowly by, to stand under the steaming shower an extra minute letting your muscles relax, to sit on the porch with your dog's head rested in your lap, to listen to a mockingbird.

Life isn't about to-do lists, wasn't meant to be about gaining possessions,

and shouldn't be centered around computers, I-phones, and TVs.

God didn't create this beautiful world for us to race our way through it, so indulge in the good things, the simple things, and slow down.

Here's to having desserts in your desert :)