Lessons from the Joshua Tree: Thriving in Harsh Conditions

Yucca brevifolia….otherwise known as the Joshua Tree is a familiar plant species native to the deserts of the Southwestern U.S., because of its ability to store water in its leaves and trunk. I was able to take an evening hike recently in the mountains of California where I saw this magnificent tree up close, and was amazed at its ability to not only survive, but thrive, even in such an intensely hot and dry climate. 

For miles, there was no sign of water and the landscape was a mixture of sand, brown rock and sagebrush. How on earth can the Joshua tree gather enough water, much less store it, to survive in such harsh conditions? The early settlers of this area nicknamed the Yucca brevifolia the Joshua Tree because their spiny, almost brushy-looking branches, reminded them of Joshua in the Old Testament, who raised his hands to the Lord in prayer.

Thriving in Harsh Conditions

I am drawing our attention to the Joshua Tree because I believe we can learn and receive hope from this amazing plant species. As we live our daily lives, we can often encounter “harsh conditions”, and sometimes these can last for several seasons that can make life unbearable. 

It could be a season of poor health, of strained relationships, addiction, financial hardship, or the prolonged grieving of a loved one we’ve lost. Sometimes it could be all of these at once! 

How can any person withstand such harsh conditions?

Jesus invites us to tap into His Spirit through the “living water” that He provides as we read in John 7:38-39 “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from the heart of anyone who believes in me.’”

East Haven Mountain, Inc. (EHMI) exists to use its resources and relationships to help people go beyond just trying to survive, and to take the next right steps to thrive. We have an approach for this, that we call the “HEMI Way”, which is a simple acronym describing how we seek to Help, Encourage, Mentor and Invite people into a deepened relationship with God, themselves and others.

It is a simple, yet powerful blueprint for experiencing a life full of meaning and relationships. It is a way of countering the false promises of this world that lead to emptiness, isolation and loneliness.

Men are especially susceptible to the cultural and societal currents that for years have promoted the false idea of the self-sufficient man who “figures it out on his own” and “doesn’t need anyone’s help”. Many men try this way of life for a while - looking for meaning in work, hobbies, watching sports, or in some of the darker things that give temporary pleasure such as pornography, alcohol or drugs. When they discover, early or much later in life that these things don’t satisfy; when they wake up to the cold reality that they have friends but lack true friendship; when they have burning questions about meaning and purpose - many men don’t know who or where to turn to.

It’s why we promote this way - The HEMI Way - to show a better way. Not just to survive, but to thrive in the harsh conditions that we all face in this life. We are NOT meant to do this life alone. Anyone can be on the giving or the receiving end of Helping, Encouraging, Mentoring and Inviting - a way of living that we have experienced to be deeply satisfying and meaningful.

Our prayer is that as people experience the HEMI Way, they will be refreshed with true living water so they can discover and be blessed by a better way of living. This is not a call for religious conversion. In fact, the concept of HEMI is something that any person, regardless of their faith or whether they believe in a Higher Power, can practice and benefit from - in friendship and community with others.