It has taken a long time, but I have finally found a way to explain one of the most influential forces in my life.

​And it's affecting millions of others like me.

Another day in the desert.

Sand in every direction.

While it’s true that I could reach the other side any day now, it’s just as likely that I’ll die here.

The kind of desert I’m talking about comes in a variety of circumstances and situations. Financial struggles, health battles, relationships gone sour. Maybe a feeling of hopelessness or loneliness. Your desert may not be like mine, but eventually—and more than once—each of us will be forced to cross a wide, dry, desolate expanse that tests us in ways we never expected.

Today, I’m reflecting on a lesson I’ve learned in recent years that has had significant impact on my future. Had I learned it sooner, perhaps I would have been spared a decade or more of wandering.

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