rain, rain...go away

They say that when it rains it pours. Lately I feel like there's a torrential downpour going on in my life. Within about a week's time my dad was in the hospital after what the doctors thought was a heart attack, my mom found out she might have cancer again, my sister's car broke down (for good) and then to top that off she lost her job.

Summers here in Florida are silly. Each day starts out beautiful and fresh with a blue sky that melts my heart and beautiful, billowing clouds that are a field day for my imagination. I look out from my office window and pine to be set free into the outdoors every day. Trapped there behind my desk, I dream of picnics and walks in the park, swimming laps in my pool, sipping iced tea at sidewalk cafes, and sprinting through open fields! I'm really quite ridiculous. But then somewhere between the lunch hour and the time I leave work to head for the gym, the sky is usually overcome by a cloak of gray storm clouds and I quickly forget the carefree, sunshiny beauty I was so enthralled by just hours ago.

Life is like that, isn't it? I mean things can be going so great and I can be feeling so completely blessed by God. I become content receiving His blessings to the point that I expect them to continue at their "usual" pace and am disappointed when trouble or turmoil arises.

I was compiling a CD of some of my favorite worship songs awhile ago for a friend of mine who was going through a difficult time. I didn't realize until that moment that many of my favorite tunes are centered around rain. They include phrases like "when the rain comes," "grace like rain," and "let it rain, open the floodgates of heaven." As that realization resounded in my soul, I started thinking about the rain. I know that rain can appear gloomy and it can spoil our plans for a picnic or a beach day. But think about AFTER the rain…

After the rain, the earth smells fresh. The trees and the grass are a shade greener it seems. The rain is necessary for growth. Another worship song that I've heard on the radio boasts "I will praise you in the storm" …because…there is beauty in the storm! It's during the storms that we cling to Jesus out of desperation and fear. We, as Christians, grow closer to Christ in the storms of life just as surely as the grass gains its inches in the afternoon thunder storms.

And so, I welcome the storms. I will cherish the downpour. I will savor the walks in the rain with Jesus when He puts His strong, capable arm around my shoulder, walks alongside me, and calls me His "Beloved."

One of my favorite and most memorable moments was in the rain a few years ago. It was hurricane season and Universal Studios' annual Rock the Universe event was featuring one of my favorite Christian bands, Third Day. The hurricane had threatened to cancel RTU but oddly enough the rains held off and the shows went on hour by hour. Third Day would be the last band to perform if the weather held up long enough. Throughout the evening, the dark storm clouds loomed overhead but no rain came. My night at Universal wasn't a particularly great one (long story), but when it finally came time for Third Day to take the stage, I was able to put the events of my day behind me and focus on worshiping Jesus. That band truly has a talent for creating an atmosphere of worship. And so there I stood with several thousands of believers united with arms outstretched toward the heavens, worshiping the one true God with reckless abandon.

Then the cool part happened. Third Day announced that they were going to play their final song. The very first notes of "When the Rain Comes" pierced the darkness and something miraculous happened. Though it was near midnight, the sky seemed to light up and the heavens opened up. A light rain began to fall with those words, but it was unlike any other rain I've ever experienced. It fell lightly and didn't seem to make us wet. No one ran for cover. We stood there feeling it's feather-light droplets hit our faces and outstretched hands. "I can't stop the rain" they sang and I cried. My tears mingled with the rain as I stared at the bright night sky. God was in that place. He was telling us He loves us so deeply, so mightily. "When the rain comes, I will hold you" is how the song ends.

One year later, I was standing there in almost the same exact spot worshiping with Third Day and expecting a similar life-changing worship experience when my cell phone rang and I met with a completely different kind of life-altering experience altogether. It was my Mom calling from an ambulance to tell me that she and my dad had been in a car accident on their way home from dinner. A drunk driver had run a red light driving about 65 mph with his headlights off, striking my mom's door upon impact. The accident left her with a fractured knee, broken hip and shattered pelvis. Thus began another rainstorm for our family. It was a seven-month-long journey of waiting for the doctors to piece her body back together again and many, many more months of painful rehabilitation before she could walk again without the aid of a walker or cane.

And now we face the storm again with my mom's most recent diagnosis. She doesn't have cancer after all. Instead of cancer, she has a rare autoimmune disease that nobody's ever heard of. It's obscure and painful and scary. It's pouring down rain and we can barely see ten feet ahead of us. But God is with us in the storm. He has us in His grip and He won't let go. I know this to be true.

Soon I'll be on the other side of the storm. I'll be looking up at the rainbow that God has painted in the sky for me. I'll smile up at it and remember that He has promised to never leave me or forsake me. For awhile, the pain of the storm will be fresh and I'll feel it like an open wound that is healing but still sensitive, tender, raw, vulnerable. After awhile I will forget the pain of the storm until another comes my way. My hope and prayer though is that I never lose sight of God's care and provision in my life. I want to not only walk with Him in the rain, but in the sunlight as well.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1:2-4)

"Listen, O heavens, and I will speak; hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants. I will proclaim the name of the LORD. Oh, praise the greatness of our God!" (Deuteronomy 32:1-3)

When The Rain Comes by Third Day

When the rain comes
it seems that everyone has
gone away
When the night falls
you wonder if you shouldn't
find someplace
To run and hide
Escape the pain
But hiding's such a lonely thing to do

I can't stop the rain
From falling down on you again
I can't stop the rain
But I will hold you 'til it goes away

When the rain comes
you blame it on the things that
you have done
When the storm fades
you know that rain must fall
on everyone
Rest awhile
It'll be alright
No one loves you like I do

When the rain comes
I will hold you