When it rains it pours…..
I am sure I am not the only one that has experienced these seasons in life. I myself love the rain…the sights, the smells, the sounds, the aftermath…but only if I am home. (Unless of course we are talking about playing in the rain…in which case I don’t mind getting wet, etc., but truth be told, these times are VERY infrequent!)
I detest being caught out and about in the rain. My hair becomes a mess. My glasses get wet and it becomes virtually IMPOSSIBLE to clean them! My clothes become drenched and inevitably my shoes and socks become sopping wet!
However, if I am home…or in a “safe” place I love to open the doors and windows and listen to the rain pour down. I enjoy watching the water pour over everything and wash it all away…. reminiscent of a bath…ridding everything it touches of the old while simultaneously making it new, fresh and clean. The smell of the wet dirt takes me back to many childhood memories. After a good rain, everything just feels like a rebirth or a new start.
I have to think about these times in life that I have enjoyed the rain because it provides much insight into the storms of life in which I, like many, face. Currently, I am experiencing one of those “when it rains it pours” kind of seasons professionally, personally, in relationships, financially, in my health, with my immediate family…and the list goes on and on. I’ve had my moment to sulk, complain, whine and cry about it…now I am accepting this season as the vehicle for which something new, fresh and exciting will happen in all aspects of my life.
There is a song by Mercy Me titled “Bring the Rain”. The lyrics perfectly embody the idea that Jesus is with us through every storm in our life.
Here are the lyrics:
I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that I’ve gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You
Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It’s never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray
Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there’ll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that’s what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain
I am Yours regardless of
The dark clouds that may loom above
Because You are much greater than my pain
You who made a way for me
By suffering Your destiny
So tell me what’s a little rain
So I pray
Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
{Read more: Mercy Me – Bring The Rain Lyrics | MetroLyrics http://www.metrolyrics.com/bring-the-rain-lyrics-mercy-me.html }
Isn’t it an amazing song? Christ is with us, no matter what we are going through. I have had to really shift my mentality to where it once was in my walk with Christ. I allowed my circumstances to distract me from keeping my eyes on Christ. Do I consider myself perfect? Absolutely not! But I can now say without a doubt that I am wholly given to my Lord. I have asked him to forgive me for being angry and bitter at HIM for my circumstances. I had to learn that our Lord is SO amazing, so forgiving and such a gentleman that he DOES NOT impose HIS perfect will on ANYONE and despite MY desires and prayers which involve other people…those individuals must seek to please HIM and put HIM first in their lives because Jesus will not force them to change. So ultimately I have sought forgiveness from him and have chosen to forgive those people in my life who are currently the perpetrators of the storms in my life. I have chosen to allow the rain in the stormy season I am in to bring me closer to Jesus. I believe that Jesus will use these storms in life to wash away the pain, the hurt and all that is old and ultimately will bring forth new things that are full of joy and happiness in my life. I pray that you do the same should you find yourself in a similar situation.
Here is a link to the song for you to listen to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9N1F1_ub7A