If you live in the South, you know why I am writing this entry….as I write we are experiencing a torrential downpour. The rain is so bad I can’t see the cars in the parking lot. It is both wonderful and scary at the same time….and it is inspiring.
We have all said the children’s rhyme RAIN RAIN GO AWAY at some time. That's because, for most of us, the thought of rain means change, and not for the better. A good hair day goes bad, or a golf time gets rescheduled and in my case the kitchen floor gets soaked from the 2 or 3 roof leaks we have. Maybe your clean car needs a re-wash. Our tendency to associate negative thoughts to the word 'rain' is gets in the way of all the good rain can bring.
I think it's unfortunate, considering the positive changes rain can produce. Several years ago, Christy and I went through a particularly rainy season in our marriage. Perhaps the word 'stormy' or the words 'torrential hurricane-like downpours' would be a more accurate way of describing it.
During one particularly nasty downpour, my anger escalated like a flash flood. Anything in my path was in real danger. The look of panic on my children’s faces revealed their fearful thoughts; it's time to seek higher ground. With this rainstorm, I realized something or someone had to finally change.
Desperate to know how to fix things, I grabbed my bible, closed my eyes and opened it. Randomly, I pointed to some scripture on some page and opened my eyes. This type of Bible study is not real effective, but for me it worked like someone had tossed me an umbrella in the midst of this storm.
"Whoever has no rule over his own spirit, is like a broken down city, without walls." -- Proverbs 25:28
This wasn't what I expected or hoped for. The words appeared to be directed at me, not Christy. Were my own actions and attitudes contributing to the problems in our relationship? Was my anger and unwillingness to admit fault causing the storm? Looking closer, this verse seemed to indicate that it was possible to control my anger. And in not doing so, I was allowing everything that was important to me to be unprotected and vulnerable. My family was at risk because of my lack of self-control.
As I continued in reflection, I was reminded of the life of Paul. Even when beaten, rejected and thrown into prison, he managed to keep his cool. He faced many storms throughout his life, yet his actions remained honorable. I could not compare anything I had done to his life in a favorable way no matter how I tried to spin it.
Rain is important to life. Rain has the ability to refresh. And rain is not always soft. Heavy rains at the right time strategically soften hardened soil conditions preparing the ground for new life. Over time, the rain can change even the rockiest of landscapes.
There will always be days when we long for the rain to 'go away '. I certainly never again want my kids to think of me as a devastating Hurricane like Ike or Katrina. However, after my storm has come and gone, I understand what the old prophet meant by 'the Lord has His way in the whirlwind and the storm'.
I'm thankful for the rain, both the real rain and the figurative and for the transformation it can bring. At least that is the VIEW FROM MY WINDOW.
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This is great, Kevin. I love how you expressed surprise that the Bible verse would be directed at you and not Christy. :) Isn't it so true though that when we're having a tough time with someone, our instinct is to dwell on what that person has done wrong, not what we have done. I have found that whenever Josh and I argue, that if I step back and apologize for what I've done, he will do the same and the road to healing and to a solution comes much more quickly.
ReplyDeleteKevin,
ReplyDeleteI thought I would be the first to post but I'm not savvy enough to send one back. I'll see if this works.
As I read your blog I was reminded about how amazing rain and storms are. The very thing that can and has destroyed un-numberal homes is the very thing we can't live without. In my lifetime I have seen 100 year storms. That in itself is amazing since I'm only 50. We have seen Tsunami's, Hurricanes, Torrential rains, Mud slides & just about everything bad that water can do. And we need the very substance that has killed millions. That is the mystery of God. Go figure?
As for me personally I love the rain. I can sit and watch it rain for hours. I'm not quite sure why I have such an attraction for it. It could be that I have always worked outside in the construction industry and we would count the drops of rain in a 6 foot circle and when there was about 20 drops in the circle we would knock off. But from my perspective now, rain is so peaceful. Perhaps because it seems to come from heaven. But in any case it is from God. Maybe it's because rain as you said is so cleansing? I have a large concrete driveway at home, when it has been dry and dusty my driveway looks pretty bad. But when we have gotten some of the large rains we have seen over the last month, it is fresh and clean. When I come home from work there is nothing any better than a good hot shower. For some reason I always feel better after a shower. Is it the relaxation of the hot water or is it the cleasing from a long day of worldly troubles? Either way when you think about it water is an essential for our lives in every form it comes in. Good luck with the Blog. When you become the #1 Blogger of all time, remember I was one of the first to respond.
Blessings,
James Polk