Everything was brown. It looked dead. Mowing only kicked up dust, not clippings. My neighbors’ yards? Lush, green, alive. Mine? No matter how much I watered, seeded, and aerated—it remained lifeless.

I had done everything I was supposed to. I followed all the right steps. And yet, my yard still looked barren.

Or so I thought.

One day, standing in my yard, it hit me—this dry, lifeless ground was more than just a lawn problem. It was a mirror of my soul.

I was working hard as a pastor, doing all the right things. Yet, the more I pushed forward, the more dissatisfied I became. My efforts weren’t producing the results I expected. I was exhausted, frustrated, and careening toward burnout.

Then, during a flight to San Diego, I looked out the window and saw something that stopped me. Below was a vast, brown desert, but scattered throughout were bursts of color—pockets of unexpected life. What I thought was a barren wasteland was, in reality, teeming with life in ways I hadn’t been able to see.

As I landed and drove to meet with a spiritual director, I had to face the truth: I was in a wilderness season. And while it felt desolate and lifeless, something was happening beneath the surface. Growth was taking place—I just wasn’t equipped to see it.

Photo by Andrew Liu on Unsplash

Recognizing the Wilderness in Your Own Life

Maybe you know this feeling. You’ve been doing everything right—working hard, showing up, pushing through—but instead of flourishing, you feel stuck. Maybe you’re wondering why the effort isn’t paying off, why you feel drained instead of fulfilled.

If you’re experiencing a wilderness season, know you’re not alone. And you don’t have to remain lost in it.

Shifting our perspective on the wilderness means changing from seeing it as something we must endure to recognizing where we are shaped and strengthened. We will spend more time in the wilderness than in the “promised land” in our lives. There will be dry seasons that feel lifeless, like my grass. The more we try to plow through them, the more exhausted and discouraged we will become. Instead of discovering life, we’ll find burnout, frustration, and emptiness.

But what if the wilderness isn’t a place of punishment—it’s a place of transformation? What if it’s the ground where God shapes you, preparing you for what’s next?

The Deep Questions the Wilderness Brings

Here’s the truth: The wilderness isn’t proof that you’re failing—it’s the place where you’re being formed.

It’s easy to believe that if nothing looks alive, then nothing is happening. But just like my yard, just like the desert I saw on the plane, life is there. Growth is happening. And even when you can’t see it, God is at work.

Still, I know how hard it is to be in that place, especially when it feels like nothing you do is enough. Maybe you’ve felt this way too—no matter how hard you work, you can’t quite measure up. It’s like you’re stuck in the cycle of striving but never arriving.

That’s because wilderness seasons tend to stir up something deeper. They bring to the surface the questions that have been shaping our lives in ways we may not even realize.

Your Primal Question—And Why It Matters

Each of us has a Primal Question—a deep longing we need answered with a yes. Maybe for you, it’s:

• Am I safe?
• Am I secure
• Am I loved?
• Am I wanted
• Am I successful?
• Am I good enough?
• Do I have a purpose?

These questions shape how we see ourselves, how we handle struggle, and even how we relate to God and others. And nothing brings them to the surface like the wilderness.

So, what if the wilderness isn’t just a place of struggle—it’s where you can uncover the question that’s been shaping your life? What if this season, right now, reveals something deeper about you—something that, once understood, could change everything?

You’re not alone if you’ve ever felt stuck, unseen, or uncertain. And you don’t have to stay there.

Stay with me—we’re going to unpack this together. Because you were made for more than just surviving. You were made to thrive. So take your first step and complete the Primal Question Assessment, and schedule your free Discovery Call HERE.