- As I sit in front of a picture window, waiting for a storm to blow in, I’m reminded of the phrase “when it rains, it pours.” I’m sure you’re familiar with the phrase. It’s used quite often. I remember it coming out of my own mouth when my Mom died a mere week after my Uncle. When I sat in the car riding through the exact same funeral procession route I had taken a week prior, I uttered, “when it rains, it pours.” There is rarely an occurrence in your life where you feel like you cannot bear the storm, than when a loved one passes. The weight of the dark clouds are like an anvil pressing down on you as sufficiently as an elephant on your chest.
- Today, as the exterminator was in the house making a routine preventative visit, my dryer made a loud popping noise, stopped, and emitted a burnt odor. I sighed in frustration as I removed the wet clothes, and he commented, “You know, it seems like when it rains, it pours!” I agreed with him, and he went about his spraying. I started to go fuss around with it, but decided to give it a minute to cool down, in case it wanted to miraculously resurrect itself when I wasn’t paying attention. Twenty minutes later, it proved to still be broken. I surprised myself by not getting too upset over the situation. Instead of calling Ben at work and voicing my frustration over my 2 wet loads of wash, I texted him calmly. He assured me he could fix it, and I replied, “No problem. The wash is done for the week. I’ll dry them at your Mom’s.” He texted back “thanks” and it made me realize how much he appreciated my calm approach. This happened last week over low finances as well. I’ve always been so high strung in the past, and when I responded so blasé over the bank account, the husband noticed. It’s been a long process, but I tried to trust God more when struggles come before me. I’ve discovered that as I proceed in faith, believing that God is in control of the situation, it ends up working out way better than I could have imagined.
- So back to “when it rains, it pours.” It does seem that way doesn’t it. I don’t know why that it. I’m not going to claim I do. I don’t know why loved ones leave us before we’re ready for them to leave. I don’t know why flat tires, broken dryers, and chipped nails happen. I do know that if you try to look at your storms from a different angle, you’ll end up seeing a rainbow. Rain isn’t just a hassle, like a nuisance that gives us a bad hair day. Rain is life giving, even of it doesn’t seem like it when you’re 500 yards from your car with no umbrella. When you allow Jesus to “rain” his love upon you, and “pour” his blessings into your life, you will find solace in the storm, and rejoice with him when the sun comes. The rainbow is a promise that He will not harm you. It always comes, though, after the rain, as a reminder of His goodness. I would encourage you to run out into the rain, like a child, and hold your arms up in joy, soaking it in. In other words, have a little faith in the rainmaker. And even if the storm is one of the bad ones and seems too much to run into, then hang in there. The rain may seem like it will last all night, but joy comes in the morning.
That is all 🙂