High desert storms—grey skies, cold winds, red dust everywhere. With the rainy season long past, it’s no longer necessary to roll up towels under the door to soak up the torrent of rain leaking in. It’s now about somehow sealing off the rush of freezing air pouring through the swamp cooler. And the dust? There’s no point in trying to keep it out. At least the spiders coming in are fewer in number. The water runs rusty-colored just like the landscape, and most everything white has turned a different color.

The stains don’t just run through fabric and materials—they run through the heart. Not stains from discolored water, but stains of long days. Stains from people who are leaking their own pain. It’s the behind-the-scene darkness that comes with mission that can wear a person out. But today, for my own sanity, I’m compelled to search for desert gems—to journal the gems rather than muse over misfortune. It’s not that I should be blind to reality, but it’s learning to see the unpolished gems sparkling in desert dust. 

So I pick up the pen and begin to name dusty glory:

the sparkle of desert stars.

the glowing of flowering yellow against rusty rock.

blazing colors bleeding across the sky.

little palomino in the sunshine.

soft pink hugging the horizon and setting the canyons aglow.

misty, midnight moon rising over the mesa.

stark blue sky contrasting colorless, lifeless plains.

the ‘littles’ giggling over a game of tag.

chocolate brown eyes searching for acceptance—daring to trust.

kiddos waiving at me.

little voices calling, “Miss Kayla!”.

horse hooves thundering in the dead of night.

hilarious kid honesty.

little brown hands.

kiddos learning to pray. 

sunshine seeping through the cracks.

canyon echos.

bare feet across sandstone cliffs.

All of these—hidden desert gems. And it’s in the naming that our foundation is built. Either a crumbling foundation full of the curses life throws, or a sturdy foundation built with the gems found in life’s dirt. Yes, ugly happens. But here too, a promise emerges from the dust. Christ promises to lay our foundation. So what kind of stones are you gathering? The unpolished gems gathered from a life of toil and pain will sparkle in His glory.

~~~*~~~

“O you afflicted one,
Tossed with tempest, and not comforted,
Behold, I will lay your stones with colorful gems,
And lay your foundations with sapphires.
I will make your pinnacles of rubies,
Your gates of crystal,
And all your walls of precious stones.” Isaiah 54:11-12