Rainy Day
I love being outside just after it rains, when it's cool and all the humidity has dissipated. The sunlight is pale and flickers between lacy white clouds. Everything is beautiful and fresh, washed clean by the rain.
Even though the rain is inevitable and necessary, it is glorious to bask in the light and stillness that follows. In fact, without the rain, the sun wouldn't seem as important or as lovely as it does when it radiates heat and light from between the dissipating clouds.
In life, the rain, clouds, and storms are inevitable, too. It goes against everything in my perfectionistic nature to believe that bad things will happen, but it's true. I long for some idyllic world of constant peace and joy. And yet, in the words of Eurythmics, "Here comes the rain again."
Even Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble," (John 16:33) so who am I to get frustrated and disappointed when things don't go the way I think they should? As a human being with limited understanding, I'm going to curse the rain at times, so to speak. Sometimes, though, after the passage of time, I can see how the rain was necessary to help me to grow, in the same way that plants need both the rain and the sun to be healthy.
When bad times come, it's easy to get wrapped up in the pain, the injustice, and the weight of the problems. There are three things to do when the rain starts falling.
1. Keep hoping. Even when the storms come, the sun is still there, just hidden beyond the clouds. Even in Olympia, Washington, where you can expect to see rain about 64 days out of the year, the sun still comes out when the rain stops. No matter what it is, this too shall pass.
2. Take charge. Even if you can't stop the rain, you can keep from getting wet. Get out the umbrella, the raincoat, and the boots. Do what you can to make the situation more manageable. Enlist the support of friends and family. Learn from today so you are better prepared for tomorrow.
3. Keep it together. Did your mom ever tell you it was okay to be out in the rain because you won't "melt'? Your skin is impervious to water, and it can't get you. In the same way, you are not your problems. You have value and significance above and beyond whatever it is you face.
True joy continues in all kinds of weather. Then you'll be "Singin' in the Rain."
Even though the rain is inevitable and necessary, it is glorious to bask in the light and stillness that follows. In fact, without the rain, the sun wouldn't seem as important or as lovely as it does when it radiates heat and light from between the dissipating clouds.
In life, the rain, clouds, and storms are inevitable, too. It goes against everything in my perfectionistic nature to believe that bad things will happen, but it's true. I long for some idyllic world of constant peace and joy. And yet, in the words of Eurythmics, "Here comes the rain again."
Even Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble," (John 16:33) so who am I to get frustrated and disappointed when things don't go the way I think they should? As a human being with limited understanding, I'm going to curse the rain at times, so to speak. Sometimes, though, after the passage of time, I can see how the rain was necessary to help me to grow, in the same way that plants need both the rain and the sun to be healthy.
When bad times come, it's easy to get wrapped up in the pain, the injustice, and the weight of the problems. There are three things to do when the rain starts falling.
1. Keep hoping. Even when the storms come, the sun is still there, just hidden beyond the clouds. Even in Olympia, Washington, where you can expect to see rain about 64 days out of the year, the sun still comes out when the rain stops. No matter what it is, this too shall pass.
2. Take charge. Even if you can't stop the rain, you can keep from getting wet. Get out the umbrella, the raincoat, and the boots. Do what you can to make the situation more manageable. Enlist the support of friends and family. Learn from today so you are better prepared for tomorrow.
3. Keep it together. Did your mom ever tell you it was okay to be out in the rain because you won't "melt'? Your skin is impervious to water, and it can't get you. In the same way, you are not your problems. You have value and significance above and beyond whatever it is you face.
True joy continues in all kinds of weather. Then you'll be "Singin' in the Rain."
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