Spiritual drought is that period of being distant from the presence of God. During this time, a dark void expands in a person’s life, and if not detected and treated early, it could leave a consuming devastating impact on their lives.
People go through a season of wilderness in their life of what’s known as spiritual drought. There is that sense of lethargy that life seems meaningless to the point that they drag themselves off the bed to go to work or do something. There is that heavy feeling weighing them down, a sensation they could not detect or know where it was coming from. And when faced when a tragedy or adversity, there’s no willpower coming from them to put up a fight, overcome challenges, no will or passion for seeking to cure or heal themselves. Catholics read the Scriptures by Bramwell references the Holy Scriptures as a good source for that much-needed personal spiritual growth.
Author Fr. Bevil Bramwell, OMI, highlighted points found in the text of Benedict XVI on Dei Verbum and its basis on the Catechism of the Catholic Church, coming from the perspective that a complete understanding of the Catholic faith, including teachings on revelation and salvation, comes from the Scriptures.
On Spiritual Drought
In the Catholic Scriptures, spiritual drought is that period in a person’s life where they’re experiencing a lack of spiritual solace, a feeling akin to desolation, a sense of separation and isolation, of not being able to sense and feel the presence of God. A spiritual drought can also be coined as a spiritual crisis, a time of difficulty where no firm ground or roots is returning to a person’s faith.
There are many reasons why people go through this kind of crisis. The number one cause is usually adversity or tragedy so heavy that the weight of the problem seems to extinguish all fires of hope and faith in a person’s life. For instance, a parent who loses a child to suicide will find it hard to recuperate and get back on life once more. Seeing the love of your life gone in an instant is enough for anyone and anybody to lose any will to live, any thread of interest or passion for life. And when that happens, they’ll descend through that dark, empty space where time stood still – and so does their faith.
Another cause of spiritual drought is the failure to sustain and maintain a connection to God. Overlapping priorities can be the culprit for this failure. What are your priorities, and how are they organized accordingly? How important priority is faith and God in your life? Or does work, social life, and even money precede your spiritual life? When people don’t give importance to their faith or spiritual life, they’ll expectedly lose their way and their grip on life’s meaning and their sense of purpose; hence, the spiritual drought.
Conquering Spiritual Drought
“Jeremiah 24:7 I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the LORD; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart.”
Drought typically connotes a dry spell, an environmental phenomenon characterized by a long period of low to no rainfall, leading to a water shortage. When there is drought or dryness, there is a need for refreshment. And in the case of spiritual dryness, the cure is a drink of water from the cup of faith.
Here are some ways to cure and conquer that dry spell in your spiritual life.
Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is the ability to be in the present moment, to focus, and be aware of your present thoughts, actions, and emotions. Self-awareness will help you recognize your needs and ultimately will help dissect the root cause of your spiritual drought. Being aware that your body needs to take a break because you’re tired, or that you need to get away from the hustle and bustle of a fast-paced life, or knowing that the lifestyle you inculcated is wearing you down, will help you redirect and refocus your attention back to your life’s purpose and will enable you to come up with solutions to solve your spiritual crisis.
Seek for Support
Be honest when you need help and support. A spiritual crisis often entails assistance coming from peers and loved ones. Since the crisis is a dark void, a bewildering maze of heavy burdens and problems, it’s best to have someone shine the light for you and guide you out of that void. Don’t go through a crisis alone. Seek counseling or spiritual counseling. As Matthew 7:7 goes, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye. shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” And when you earnestly seek out that relief, it shall then be given to you.
Take Ownership
Don’t blame other people for the spiritual crisis you find yourself in. Remember that everything is a personal choice; a choice to be happy, a choice to live life fully, and a choice to be spiritually awakened. To change that struggle in life and to change that meaningless and lack of a sense of purpose requires the willpower to do so, and that willpower should come from the people themselves seeking spiritual relief through their faith. Do something about your spirituality by taking ownership of it and reconnecting with God.
That wilderness of spiritual drought can take hold of peoples’ lives at any time – if people let it do so. It all boils down to the choices people make and how they take control of their priorities in life. If people choose to grow their spirituality, hope and faith flourish. And if they grow in their Catholic faith, they conquer their spiritual drought.
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