Scorched Earth: Desert Spirituality Just Fits Me

Natalie Hanemann discusses ways we can live our spiritual lives inspired by the Desert Fathers of the early Church.

And the Lord will continually guide you, 
And satisfy your desire in scorched places, 
And give strength to your bones (Isaiah 58:11a, NASB) 

I don't always feel like I fit well in Christian communities, and not just because I’m Catholic in a predominately Protestant section of the country. The way I live my faith is different from those around me. 

I cringe a little when the faith I love and would die for is boiled down to a slogan on a bumper sticker or reduced to a verse on a trendy t-shirt. Or when atheist family members or friends ask me to explain the bad behavior of a priest or church leader.  

We do enough damage within the Body of Christ to make those on the outside look at us and ask, "If you can't get along with each other, why would we join you when you come preaching peace and forgiveness?" 

When I hear platitudes tossed around, hateful remarks shot across one denomination's bow toward another, or overly emotional interpretations of Scripture, I am turned off. No wonder Gandhi was moved to say, “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” 

It's not Jesus’ fault we don't always represent him very well. But in response to the challenges of being a member of Christ's church, and as a member of a society whose values do not reflect my own, I choose to practice my faith in ways that may appear atypical.  

Living in a scorched place

I live in a scorched place, in my mind, sometimes in my heart, occasionally relationally. My scorched place is not ugly or sad. It is beautiful because it is the place where I can be most honest. Because of that, I love and protect this place fiercely. Honesty may be the most important quality to living out my Christian values. Genuine, raw devotion with no gimmicks is one way to describe desert spirituality. Desert fathers in the earliest centuries noticed a trend in how some followed Christ and decided to forge a new path, both literally by venturing into the desert and behaviorally in their ascetic practices. St. Antony of the Desert modeled the way of this spiritual mindset. 

The desert forces adaptation, requiring inhabitants to grow or die; one cannot remain the same and survive. This harsh landscape requires that we draw continually from the source of Life and not get sidetracked by worldly comforts.  

Four ways we can practice desert spirituality in the modern age 

Travel light. 

I don't want "things," I want to reach people's hearts with truth, love, and mercy. But most of all, I want to spend time in intimate communion with Jesus because no one understands and loves me like he does. That doesn't require anything but me and my beating heart.  

Lord, help me to let go of items that feel important but aren't. 

Be a rebel. 

I will speak the truth in love, even if it puts me in danger. Is anybody listening? We talk too much and say too little. I don't want to add to the noise. When a window opens in a conversation, let me be ready to use my words to accomplish your work, Jesus. 

Lord, I'm willing to go into danger for you. Just show me the right risks to take. 

Make peace with being alone. 

I have a monastic heart. I find peace in wide open spaces and silence. I don't mind being silent with other silent people. I find Christ when I'm with others and when I'm alone; but being alone with the Lord is my favorite place to be, whether that's in a New Mexican desert or in Adoration at church.  

Lord, help me remain alone with you in my heart, no matter where I am physically. 

Don't fake joy. 

I don't like feeling pressured to be joyful because Scripture tells us to be so. When I'm in a scorched place, I want to remain there until I'm done processing. I personally cherish being in a scorched place because there I sense the Lord most present to me. Don't ask me to leave my desert to join you in a pasture if I'm not ready to go there.   

Lord, give me the margin to spend as much time as I need to in whatever desert I find myself in. I rely on your promise to guide and strengthen me.  

I'm not alone in this

I used to think my approach made me a black sheep in the Christian flock, but I’ve discovered others drawn to this desert spirituality. In the book Soul Making, Alan Jones put it well when he wrote,

This austere and refreshing desert way of belief has a peculiar array of devotees. They have two basic characteristics: a heart and mind willing to pursue the truth wherever it may lead (and the ability to acknowledge that they may be wrong); and the kind of sensibility (which is the joining of the mind and heart) that is captive to wonder, mystery, and awe. (p.6) 

Lord, preserve in me always a sense of wonder for the beauty and goodness that surrounds me. 

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Copyright 2024 Natalie Hanemann
Images: Canva