Thirst

When we go for a long time without drinking enough water we start to exhibit signs of dehydration. We get tired. We get dizzy. We get irritable. And if we don’t address the problem before long it can become life-threatening. This is dehydration. An early sign of dehydration is being thirsty. It is having that feeling that there is something that you want, that you desire, that you need. If you only get a drink you will be ok. But if you wait too long, the simple thirst becomes more and you run the risk of serious harm or death.

I realized that I was thirsty. When I was recently on a backpacking trip in the Arizona wilderness I realized that I was thirsty. It was hot and dry and I was carrying a heavy pack and I knew that what I needed to do was to stop, take off my pack, get out a water bottle, and get a drink. That was usually enough for me to be ok and to keep going. Except for that day when I had gone through most of my water and was not sure that there was a place for me to refill. Now I was really worried about getting thirsty. I was really worried about that I was going to lose energy, get irritable, get dizzy, and risk losing my life. I was thirsty, but the thirst was for more than water, it was a thirst that impacted a depth of being in my life.

It started for me before the pandemic, but got worse and worse. I was getting irritable, I was not sleeping well, and I was saying again and again that I was tired. I was thirsty. I tried to replenish myself, to get away for a week and be alone with God in the wilderness, and for a while it helped. But not enough. I continued to be thirsty. I continued to find myself feeling unsettled and anxious. I would wake up feeling panicked and worried. My life as a pastor was draining, was making me want something more. And I am serving a good church. I am serving a church that is supportive and loving, but I was still thirsty. I looked more and more to the wilderness.

            I love being in the wilderness. I love being amongst the trees and the mountains, the animals and the isolation. I also love taking other people into the wilderness so that they can have their own experience and sharing those experiences with them. I have taken youth and adults into the wilderness and love walking with them, sharing with them, and experiencing the wilderness with them. This was something that I was yearning more and more, something that I desired.

In our lives we get thirsty. It is not just a thirst for water, but for a connection with creation, a deep connection with others, with ourselves, and with the Divine. There may be moments that quench our thirst, seconds that we steal to watch the birds feed and fly, moments of pause to appreciate the sunset, time with friends or family. Yet these moments are quick and often interrupted by technology. And in time we get irritable, we get tired, and we start to lose a sense of any foundation of who we are. This is why I go into the wilderness. In the wilderness we get more than just a sip of the life-giving experiences that we need; we can gulp and refill. In the wilderness we can pause and fill on memories, experiences, and reflections. It is so important that we all do what we need to so that we are not thirsty. For some it is music. For others it is being with family and friends. Or maybe it is reading a good, engaging book. We need to know what it is that helps us in our thirst.

I believe that we all are thirsty to one degree or another. I believe that we all are looking for a way to be connected with creation, with community, and with the divine, but our lives and especially our technology is getting in the way and that makes us thirsty. We thirst meaning. We thirst depth. We thirst life. And I believe the wilderness can be a place where our thirst is quenched. To separate ourselves from the hustle and bustle of technology can be life-giving. To find that space where we can pause and listen for the presence of the divine can be life-saving.

            What is it that makes you thirsty in your life? What is it that you yearn to do and experience to gain a refresh of your life? Join me in the wilderness, connect with the Divine, and quench your thirst. Or, at least, get into the wilderness yourself. Don’t be thirsty.