When we moved into our home 16 years ago, our trees were not as large as they are today. One maple tree grows in the center of the lawn in our backyard. As the rotating sprinkler fans out its spray, the trunk of the maple tree blocks a narrow slice of the stream of water. Each time we water, the presence of the tree casts a waterless shadow across one portion of the lawn. That part of the lawn remains dry. It is most noticeable when the rest of the lawn is wet.
The tree reminds me of our lives. Some things in our lives were not a problem when they were small and still growing. The demands of a career, the needs of the people we are called to serve, and even our individual calling in the Kingdom of God all seemed manageable, and each got watered. In those early seasons, life could work around them without any noticeable detrimental effect. But there came a time, as these areas of life continued to grow that we begin to notice a dry place developing on the landscape of our life. Some areas were starting to die in the dry shadow while the surrounding areas looked alive and vibrant.
If there is a dry place in your life, it may be time to add another spiritual sprinkler. The demands of life that are causing the dry places will only get larger over time and continue to cast an ever-increasing shadow of dryness in your life. God wants all of your life well-watered by His word, wise self-care, and relationships honest enough to point out your dry places.
Every area of your life has been designed by God to live as a green and luxurious-looking follower of Jesus Christ, not a life of dry and brittle shadows. Do what you need to do to make this happen. Deal with the dry places, and new life will soon appear.
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