you gotta have the rain...

We here in Southern California were treated to rain and gloom off and on for the past four days. It hasn't been the usual sunny and warm weather people are used to, and you should hear the grumbling and complaining that starts after about one full day of rain. One would think we were living in the continual rain of Seattle or in the ice-covered states back east!

Southern Californians will put up with about 24 hours of rain--after all, we have been in a bit of a drought cycle for the past few years, the reservoirs and lakes are dreadfully low, and the brown hills of winter show our lack of precipitation. So, OK, we will take a little bit of it. But, after 24 hours, oh my! The complaining begins.

As for me, well, I love the rain! I love the black clouds! And if I were to hear a peal of thunder or the crisp crackle of lightening, I would do a little dance of joy! I just love "weather." (and, yes, I really like wind and storms...not sure what that says about my personality! I think it's the intensity I love.)

Over the past couple of days, I've pondered the rain and how it is like the times of gloom or stormy weather in our lives--those rough patches, trials, times when the sun is not shining in our personal worlds. It's very similar. Give me a few days of difficulty, and I can "hang with it." Give me a few weeks of it, and I'm grumbling. Give me a longer trial, and I'm questioning, throwing out the "why?"s, and finding it hard not to ask God what He could possibly be thinking!

And yet, what did we see and experience today AFTER the gloom and as a result of the rain?

• the beauty of the snow on the distant mountains--through the removal of the smog cluttering up the airspace, previously blocking our vision of the beauty before us
• clean, sparkling trees and buildings--through the washing away of the accumulated dirt and silt
• water!! so very necessary for life and so hard to come by sometimes!
• and, in the very near future, green grass growing where the winter brown is currently reigning.

Similarly, what do we see and experience in our lives AFTER the gloom and as a result of the stormy times?

• clarity of vision--an ability to see things, issues, people, beauty more clearly and with fresh renewed eyes
• cleansing--a washing away of sinful behaviors, a sloughing off of the things that don't really matter
• water--refreshment, nourishment, a renewed sense of the presence of God in a way that satisfies our thirst
• growth--of character and depth in our relationship with the Lord
• and a deepened sense of appreciation and gratitude for what God has given and how He has been faithful.

Though it may take hard work and perseverance and a real check on our attitudes, we need to learn to accept, and even welcome, the rain in our lives--to be steadfast through the stormy weather, to be grateful for the gloom despite our feelings, and to seek the Son shine when the sun is not shining. For, without the rain, there is much we will miss in our lives.... (and, it is only IN the midst of the rain, with the sun [Son?!] shining through, that we get to see the reminder of God's promises and His faithfulness... the glorious beauty of the rainbow!... you gotta have the rain!)