By Mark Briggs
ouis L’Amour, in his novel The Burning Hills, paints a most vivid picture with his words. Because of his artful description, with very little effort, you will see what he is saying. Listen:
“His thoughts no longer clear, he got drunkenly to his knees and got hold of the stirrup, pulling himself erect. Somehow, he got into the saddle, and, of his own volition, the horse began to walk. Heat waves shimmered their veil across the distance. Above the mirage of a distant blue lake, the heads of the cedars peered like strange beings from some enchanted world. There were passages of delirium then, through which were woven thin threads of sanity. He must rest soon.”
You don’t have to be a wounded and heat-stricken cowboy to know that there are moments in your life when you cannot see things as they really are. As he says, there are sometimes “threads of sanity,” but often those threads are very thin.
Our hopes, plans, and dreams often get lost in the “heat” of life. Light rays are bent in a naturally-occurring phenomenon called a mirage, and the refraction creates displaced and distorted objects. Because of the mirage, those treasured things that once seemed crystal clear are barely definable. Therefore, often during the desert and barren parts of our life trek, we usually throw in the proverbial towel. Based on what we “see,” it’s just not worth it!
There are some simple secrets to ensure you are not fooled by the trickery of deceiving dream stealers.
Don’t allow your “wondering” to turn into wandering.
Get control of your thoughts before they get control of you.
Make sure your original dreams and goals are written down and clear beforehand.
Don’t give up on what is best for a shimmering replacement.
Understand that your principles define you, but the desert and wilderness often refine you. Just because it’s a “wasteland” doesn’t mean the experience has to be a waste.
Beware the mirage!
Be encouraged by someone who knew life’s scorching desert well: “We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright.” Paul from Tarsus (1 Corinthians 13:12)