Right Before Rain

I love the way the world looks right before it rains. Most people complain that it's depressing, but I find it to be quite the opposite for me. I find it calming. Soothing, even.

The sky seems to be sleepy, but determined, knowing what lies ahead and resting in its fate. People are closing their doors, getting in their cars, trying to get home before it starts to pour. Blinds close. Windows shut. Animals find shelter beneath trees or in the ground.

And then we wait. We rest. We find things to keep us occupied until the storm passes.

That's the beautiful part to me. Right before it rains, we finally get to rest. We have to rest. We accept that it's time to rest. And to be frank, we're just not very good at that any other time. Rain, which bothers most everyone else, is a blessing to me. It's a way for God to pat us on the back, kiss us on the forehead, and tuck us in. It's a way for Him to do what He does best: take all the heavy stuff from out of our hands and off of our backs, and let us stop for a moment and take a break. We really should give Him all of that stuff all the time, but the truth is, we don't. So he finds ways to gently force us to give up control. Like rain.

Isn't that lovely? He found a way to get us to choose to rest. He found a way to still let us choose.

And the best part is this: while we get some rest, we're also growing, and so is everything around us. The best part is that God could have done it anyway He well pleased. He could've created the world and its' self-sustaining functions, like rain, in a totally different way that didn't include us. But that's not how God is. He's always thinking of us. He knew that we wouldn't take time to just be, so he used rain as a way not only to sustain the earth but to sustain our souls. Our souls get weary, and they need time to recuperate from the pain and dig for the joy that so often gets buried, and when it rains...

When it rains, we rest.

Right before rain, I can feel the love of a Father who knows that I just need some time to rest.

Right before rain, I am thankful.

Let it pour.