Recently, I had the opportunity to spend some time with Brian Tome. I respect Brian and really appreciate his thoughts, perspective, and wisdom. In Episode #4, Brian offered several tips on how to survive the desert seasons of life and ministry. Here is a recap:
Don’t Forecast An End: we do not know how long desert seasons will last, so there is no point in trying to predict how long it will last. The nation of Israel had no idea they would be in the desert for 40 years. The reality is, desert seasons come on slowly and end abruptly. Don’t forget that Jesus, after his baptism, is lead by the Spirit into the desert. If Jesus spent a season in the desert, we should be prepared for desert seasons as well. When you find yourself in the desert season you have to keep putting one step in front of the other, trusting that God is with you and will lead you through.
Double Down On Your Spiritual Disciplines: when we are in the desert season of life and ministry we need to double down on things like prayer, bible study, fasting, worship, fellowship, rest/sabbath, serving others, and generosity. As disciples, we are supposed to live as Jesus lived, and walk as Jesus walked (1 John 2:6). Let’s be real, we call these disciplines because we should do them even when we do not feel like it. Being in the desert is about being close to Jesus. What disciplines do you need to double down on?
Double Down On Your Vulnerability: you do not need to be vulnerable with everyone, but you should have a few people in your life who you are open and honest with. It is ok to not be ok, but you need to let someone know how you really feel and what is going on below the surface of your life! Do you have a friend, colleague, or counselor who you can be honest with? The first step in fixing broken areas of our lives is to first admit there is a problem.
Don’t Walk Alone: life is a journey and no one should walk alone! You were made for relationship and friendship. When life gets, hard we tend to isolate ourselves, but the reality is we need friends when we are going through the desert seasons of life. I know you have a lot to do, but make sure you create some time for friendship. Grab a cup of coffee, have a meal, spend some time with people in your home. Friendships don’t just happen, they take time and effort.
Have Fun: seriously, you need to have fun. Fun is not just for kids! Check out this article Brian wrote about having fun. Did you know that people who take their lunch breaks, know when to stop working, go home at a reasonable hour, and take their vacation days actually have more breakthroughs than those who don’t. Do you have a hobby? When was the last time you had fun? Do you regularly take a day off? Seriously, when was the last time you laughed, like a deep belly laugh? The Bible says that, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength” (Proverbs 17:22).
There is nothing wrong with you if you find yourself in a desert season of life. It happens, in fact, sometimes God leads us by the Spirit into the desert because He wants to do something in us before He does something through us. When you find yourself in the desert season you have to keep putting one step in front of the other, trusting that God is with you and will lead you through.
Stay Gritty!
If you want to hear more about this, listen to the whole podcast: Episode #4: Surviving The Desert Seasons Of Like And Ministry” with Brian Tome.