When I was in middle school, my best friend and I were “office aides.” We took this job very seriously, and we loved it. At the time, school office personnel needed student helpers for things that can now be done at the click of a button or even on our phones. Our main job was to walk up and down the hallways collecting attendance sheets that teachers hung outside their classroom door. I will never forget the dreaded days when it was raining, and one of us would have to brave a monsoon to run outside and collect attendance from the portable buildings. You might wonder if we had heard of umbrellas – so why the dismay? And the reason can be summed up in two words: humidity and hair. You see, I have naturally curly hair. Humid days used to haunt me because my hair would literally triple in size. And you know how middle schoolers are: So. Self. Conscious. My world began to crumble when anything slightly embarrassing would happen.
And for this reason, I used to hate
the rain.
Now that I’m older, I look back on that time and laugh at
myself. At the age of 29, I experienced a (figurative) torrential downpour. I
felt like my life and my “normal” was being swept away. The rain wouldn’t let
up, the winds picked up, and I felt a lot like Dorothy in the tornado scene
from The Wizard of Oz. Through this storm, I set my eyes on Jesus and continued
to seek Him. I knew He wouldn’t give up
on me. And I was right. He was with me the whole time, and He delivered me from
that trial. Today, I’m here to testify about His healing power through it. And
a little rain doesn’t bother me so much anymore.
“We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in
with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in
us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping
us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re
never left feeling short-changed. Quite the contrary – we can’t round up enough
containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the
Holy Spirit!” (Romans 5:3-5 MSG)
These days, I embrace the rain. I love to watch it, listen to
it, and maybe even go outside and dance in it now and then. I have confidence
that my God will get me through any storm, and I’ve experienced how those
storms end up making me stronger. I also recognize that drought is far worse
than rain. So in all actuality, we need the rain! It refreshes and renews us
when we are completely dried up. It brings trees, plants, and flowers back to
life and makes them green again. (Can I get an “AMEN!” from my fellow Texans?)
God’s promise- like His beautiful rainbows- reminds us that there’s a purpose
under Heaven for every rainstorm. You may not see it now, but God has a plan to
use your storm for good.
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