God clearly reveals his identity as "I am who am."  God, who is really beyond all names, is the One who simply "is" as the ground of all being.  This ever-existing, uncreated, and all-encompassing presence of unconditional God, who is Love, is very patient as he waits for us to grow and change.  God is so near to us that it is easy to miss his presence.  As true love requires, God seeks a devoted, initimate, free, and exclusive relationship with each of us.  As we walk through the parched, desert experiences of our lives it is easily in our thirst for water and a respite from the heat that we reach for and construct idols that will bring us immediate relief and satisfaction.  These false gods, made out of our comforts and earthly desires can quickly take the place of the One who really has first dibs on our hearts.  Humans have often wandered far away from God as St. Paul reminds us.  In helping each other cultivate and fertilize the ground upon which we walk, God gives us yet another chance to bear fruit and return.