It’s raining. And it’s March. For many, this may seem weird, but to me, it adds a visual to some of my thoughts lately.
It’s raining. This time, though, I’m talking about life. Sometimes life is nothing but clear skies. I think we all know those days. It seems like nothing in the world can bring us down, when everything is going our way and we’re enjoying the ride, drinking in every moment of it. But those aren’t the days I’m talking about. I’m talking about the cloudy days, days when we can just smell the storm coming over the horizon. Those are times that test us, times that stretch us, and they’re bound to come. And like I already said, it’s raining.
Now, I don’t want to pretend or paint a worse picture than reality necessitates. There are many people in my life who I know have undergone great hardships and faced struggles far beyond my current situation. There are so many differing degrees to storms that may come our way, and I’ll be the first to say that right now it is simply raining. There’s no thunder. There’s not lightning. Just rain. Still, that rain calls for a response from me just as any other storm. So here’s the question that it’s begging me to answer: what am I going to do?
There’s a number of choices that I could choose from, and to be quite honest, I am sure that I have probably chosen many if not all of these choices at one time in my life or another. But still I am faced with a question today. What am I going to do?
I could ignore the rain. That might work for a while…. Until I want to go somewhere or do something different.
I could avoid the rain. Running from building to building, shading myself from its attack, losing some of my freedom to the demands of the rain.
I could surrender to the rain. Let the rain take control, drench me. In the end, I will probably end up miserable, uncomfortable, and wet.
I could watch the rain. Learn from the rain, observe it, see its affects. Yet, remain unchanged and unmoved, at a loss of freedom.
I could accept the rain. Use an umbrella and be ok with getting a little wet.
I could embrace the rain. Dance in the rain.
So what will I choose? Understanding that this is a choice that all of us must make multiple times throughout our lives, I am curious. What choice is most common? And honestly, I think all choices are quite common, but I feel that we as mankind often strive to accept the rain. We want to be at peace with our circumstances. We want to be okay. Now, don’t get me wrong. That’s not a bad goal. But is that where we should stop? I think Christ calls us to something greater than that.
I Thessalonians 5:18 says to give thanks in all circumstances. This is Christ’s will for us! Now, this verse could’ve said to be okay in all circumstances, but that’s not where Christ lands! He takes it a step further and exclaims that we are to be thankful in all circumstances, even the storms.
So, my friend, let’s dance in the rain. Let’s see the beauty in it. Let’s learn from it. Let’s see the good that Christ has planned through it. Yes, sometimes the rain will cloud our vision and limit the distance that we can see. That’s okay. Sometimes the rain will make the ground a little slippery. That’s okay. Sometimes the rain will be cold and uncomfortable. That’s okay. Sometimes the rain will mess up your plans. That’s okay.
Recognize that the rain does so much more than that! Some day the rain will stop. And when it does, new life will come from it. Growth will take place. Beauty will reveal itself.
So, I am choosing to dance. To enjoy. To see the rain as an opportunity for so much good. It’s not by mistake that it’s raining. I may not see it now, but something wonderful is going to come out of this, and I don’t want to miss it.
