Do you like rainy days? Typically, we humans consider rain a sad event. We may use the phrase, “Raining on your parade”, or we talk about events being washed out. All of us have made plans to go camping or to have a picnic, only to be met with disappointment as rain or thunderstorms sweep in to cancel our outdoor plans. But rain, while we often find it inconvenient; it is also something that is very necessary. Without rain, the grass crisps, curls and cracks under our feet, just as it did this June. Without rain, we must vigilantly and repeatedly douse our flowers and vegetables before they all wilt, turn brown and die. And without enough rain, destructive wild fires can spread quickly, devastating lives and effecting air quality — even thousands of miles away.
In the same way that our planet is designed to need rainy days, we as humans are designed to be able to meet and overcome challenges. God has created us humans with the ability to grow, adapt and change. If every day was just blue skies and sunlight dappling through the leaves, if our bodies never got any older, if we never experience any mental or emotional challenges that stretch us to our limits, we would never grow to achieve our full potential. Just like muscles that need to be pushed in order to grow stronger, our lives and especially our faith must overcome setbacks and those rainy seasons in our lives in order to grow stronger and resilient.
So, as we laugh and enjoy the summer sunshine and schedule our time for lounging by our beautiful Michigan lakes and rivers, be sure to also pray for rain. We need it to keep our environment healthy. And in our own experience, do not despair when our lives grow dark with thundering storms. Because with God’s help and with our loving care for our neighbors, we can meet all of life’s challenges. Through faith, we can adapt and change and grow stronger together as we live and work for a world at peace; rain or shine.
Article for the Rockford Squire Newspaper 6/29/2023
