The Oasis

“Hi, my name is Xiomara,” I said to introduce myself. 

I sat in a small room, nervous about my first meeting. I was going through a particularly painful and difficult season in my life. So with the encouragement of my husband and a counselor, I attended a support group meeting. This first meeting became one of many. Amongst those seated in that room week after week, I found hope, encouragement, and community. I learned that I didn't have to bear the burden of my difficulties alone and in isolation. I learned that my painful experiences weren't unique to just me but were also shared with others. In the middle of a desert land in my life, I had found an oasis.

An oasis is a small fertile or green area in a desert region, usually having a spring or well. It’s known for serving as a refuge, relief, and time of refreshment from the dry and sometimes harsh desert climate.

A lot of things have changed in my life since I sat in that room some years ago. Yet somehow it seems that these past few years I have traveled from desert to desert. One season of hardship draws to an end and almost immediately begets another. And yet despite the weariness of what feels like constant travel in these deserts, time and time again God has been faithful to provide a place of oasis. 

I've given much thought about what to share this holiday season. I am walking through a desert season yet again. The unexpected never has good timing. And so these past 2 weeks a whirlwind of activity and challenges have been sandwiched in the middle of the holiday season. I had hoped and planned that “the worst of it” would happen after the holidays, but that was not in the cards. Yet in the middle of all this stuff happening in my life, God has provided an oasis once again. A place of rest and refuge that has been a blessing beyond words and measure. 

The holidays are as stressful and straining as they are joyous. For some, the joyous isn't even a part of their holiday experience. Some of you will spend this Christmas grieving the loss of a loved one. The wound will be raw and fresh and the holidays will only accentuate the absence of the one you wished to spend the holiday with. Some of you will look at the bank account and wonder how you’re going to make it. You have kids depending on you for blessings under a tree and creditors hounding you to pay. You hope you’re going to make it happen, but deep down fear has you knotted up in doubt. Some of you are in the middle of a strained relationship. Peace with your spouse, a child, a parent, or a family member is not part of your holiday experience. Or maybe you've been abandoned or betrayed by a friend. I don’t know what your desert is today. 

But I do know that there is an oasis available. Somehow, somewhere in your life, something exists to tell you that you are loved. That all hope is not gone. It can be the warm smile and hug from a child. The encouragement and prayers from a group of friends. The stranger who paid for your coffee at the Starbucks line. That unexpected gift card passed on to you at work or a holiday party. Maybe it’s just the calming silence and peace at the end of the long trying day. Or maybe it’s me, typing on my computer keys, saying “You’re not alone my friend. I’m going through all kinds of stuff too.” I don’t know. But I do know, that one does exist, somewhere, somehow.  I encourage you to look for it and embrace it. To sit for a while. To be refreshed. It may only get you from Point A to Point B on your way to Point Y, but it’s something. And maybe, just maybe – it won’t be the only one being offered to you.

This holiday season, in the midst of the exhaustion, the questions, the anxieties, and even the tears, I am stopping to rest at my oasis. I am going to accept what’s offered for me today. I am praying that you’re holiday season will bring a bit of refreshment in the midst of your desert