Nita Gilger

Our guest blogger today is Nita Gilger, religious educator and writer and she lives with her husband in the broad expanses of beautiful Texas ranch land:

The ancient text from Isaiah guides me this morning. Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (43:18-19)

Barrel Cactus

Early spring is a major transitional time here at the ranch under the big skies of Texas.  If not for a cactus expert friend of mine who prompted me, I might not have noticed something very important about a barrel cactus in one of our flowerbeds. Do you notice the white places on the cactus in this picture?

The white spots could be mistaken for mold or fungus, but upon a closer look and with instruction from my cactus friend, I understand they are the precursors to blooms.  Truth be told, the area around this barrel cactus was so overgrown with weeds that I couldn’t even see the hardy plant until I cleared it all away. The ranch is absolutely full of all sorts of cacti for which I do not know the scientific names. I know their common names like prickly pear, horse crippler, and barrel cactus. But my friend knows all the “big” names for these cacti and those difficult names roll right off the end of his tongue.  I worry a little that he may be disappointed in me, sad that I have no desire whatsoever to know the sophisticated names and intend to revert back to the common names directly. But I hope he knows that I love that he really does know. I do admire his knowledge and passion.

Barrel Cactus in Bloom

This barrel cactus will bloom whether there are weeds or not, but it will do better with some clearing and care.  More importantly, I will enjoy its beautiful, brilliant pink flowers when they show themselves. Right now, I am in the clearing and waiting with anticipation, because I know that in God’s good time that beauty will burst out of the wilderness. At the right moment, the ranch will be full of color from the blooms of all the different cacti. The wild flowers are already making their entrance, but the cacti blooms will come a little later. In just a few weeks I will know that all that waiting and watching was worth it. It is, in fact, the artistry of a Holy Creativity.

As I look at my life, I know there are areas where clearing and waiting are both necessary and important. This image of Holy Creativity helps me to trust that my life, too, is being cultivated for beauty and possibilities. Like the barrel cactus, its white spots are destined to become something more. My part is to prepare the ground around it, be willing to clear out and make room for my soul growth, and remain open to what I may become.

Sometimes the most difficult part is finding the patience to wait. The waiting period, however, is not wasted time. For in that waiting and even because of it, our Creator God is doing a good work. Something is being formed, readying itself for new birth that is awe-inspiring and stunning. In fact, I have come to have a love affair with those waiting periods because when I listen and look, I learn so much.

 Come spring come!  Let the beauty begin.  Pay attention.  God is doing a new thing in the wilderness.