This weekend reminds us of a profound Trinitarian display in the life of Jesus. We must always be mindful that, as was the case with Jesus, such profound experiences are often followed by a call to the desert. Author and podcaster Cassidy Hall explores the desert as a metaphor for difficult times in our lives:  
Sometimes desert conditions invite us to strip ourselves of all that is unnecessary and all that hinders us from forging ahead…. The desert distills us into the absolute rawness of who we are and asks us who we want to be.
Even when I don’t want the gifts of the desert, I know they are real; with time I will be able to receive them. The unchosen deserts of my life have often been places of my most profound growth, where I’ve found liminal knowing, healing, new layers of vulnerability, and quiet blossoming.
 The desert plants teach us again of the necessity to deepen our roots. We only carry through the deserts what we must: our reliance on root systems, communal care, and interconnection; the clarity of knowing what pieces of ourselves must die; and the timeless lesson to know and understand ourselves more intimately. 
In the spaciousness of solitude, we open ourselves up to the truth of ourselves. We more deeply root, examine, shed, and soften… And almost always, the desert spaces are places and moments of paradox: knowing amid the unknowing, refreshment in the parched places, life amid death, fecundity in the barrenness, midnight blooming, and acceptance of seasons.