A fire, the wind, and the Holy

Yesterday I went hiking in an area that had suffered from fires a few years back. To say it was devastating would be too much; to say it was beautiful would be incorrect as well. Sobering and intriguing might be better words?

Some trees had been cut down, some still stood, blackened and stripped of their needles from the fire, but strong and towering nonetheless. The wind whipped through them almost in a loud whistle. All the way up, all I could see was winter grasses, dried reeds, and tree stubs. Eerie in some places, I asked the Lord what he wanted to show me that day, knowing that many times he has used nature to reveal to me a new truth I had not considered.

After about an hour I hit a clearing of sorts, and turned to look from where I had come. There in the distance were other hills, firs or singed poles I could not discern – but it was covered in snow and beautiful, nonetheless.

What became apparent to me was that this, even after a fire, is still a land that is blessed and cared for by the Lord himself.

As I continued up, a new trail led me through an entire section of pines that had not been burned, and for a while I had a respite from the wind. Yet each time it howled and blew, I smiled and laughed, wholeheartedly.

It felt like a holy wind of sorts, as if God had invited me to be with him for the day. I saw clusters of deer hiding in grasses, and elk bounding across the hills. It was sacred and life giving.

I captured the picture at the top of this blog as I headed back down to the trailhead. It struck me that even with the burned trees cut down, there was still a kind of raw beauty that invited new growth and made me wonder what this section will look like in a few years?

Quite the analogy when we go through seasons of our lives where old things die, where winter has come, where things seem dry and dusty, where wind whips through our soul and wears us out.

I can’t help but pair this experience with Mark Buchanan’s book that I have picked up to re-read, called “Spiritual Rhythm: Being with Jesus every Season of your Soul” – because I have lately realized I am coming out of a spiritual winter into spring and it is wonderful to feel alive again in so many new ways.

As much as this picture isn’t a representation of spring, it still speaks to me of the possibility of newness right around the corner.

So I offer this to those of you who may be walking a similar road, where your soul feels dry and dusty, or where you are longing for newness and being rebirthed, much like spring.

Hold on.

Jesus has not forgotten you, and he will bring you through. Your winter, your dry season, your after-being-burned and left to regrow on what feels like your own — is not void of the One who knows you. His beauty still covers your life, his care for you has not wained or grown cold.

Know that the seeds being planted in the richness of the soul of your soul will grow, but you cannot be the one to force them. That is part of the mystery of our souls and their interactions with the Holy, my friend. Lean in, take time to listen, and know that Spring is coming!