Rain

“The way I see it, if you want the rainbow,
you gotta put up with the rain."
~Dolly Parton

I once knew a man who was crippled at a young age by a massive stroke. In spite of his suffering, the man said if given the chance to return to the way he was before the stroke, he would not. He explained he would never choose to become disabled, but now that he was, his perspectives on life had changed.  


"I was a workaholic," he explained. "Now my view of work and money is more balanced. The relationship with my wife has grown in love, intimacy, and respect, and I have discovered compassion as I've never known it through the people who reached out to help me." Most of all, he said, through his trials, he had grown closer to God. 


"If it meant having to give all of that up," he said. "I wouldn't go back."


My daughter Tara had died three days after childbirth. Her baby daughter remained in neonatal intensive care in another city. My twelve-year-old grandson Spencer had been taken away, and I didn't know if or when I would see him again.  I have to admit, unlike my friend, had I been given the opportunity to turn back time, I would have. I wondered how long it had taken before my friend could see gift in adversity. It was clear a measure of grace had sprung from his pain, but I couldn't imagine anything positive coming from my circumstance.  It is hard to envision redemption in the midst of a deluge with no rainbow in sight.  


Sometimes in the rainy times of life, when a downpour persists and the waters have yet to recede, all we can do is cling to hope, keep our heads above despair, wait upon the Lord, and pray we will recognize a rainbow when we see one.


Reflections:

Psa. 27:14 Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.


Black and white are the colors of photography. To me they symbolize the alternatives of hope and despair to which mankind is forever subjected"~Robert Frank


"Life is gift. Despair is presumptuous."~John Claypool


"When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown."~ Isaiah 43:1


"God draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams; the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind." ~Job 36: 27-28


-Have I known blessings that have come from difficult experiences?  If so, what are they? What story would I tell?
-What are my priorities in life?
-Is there balance in my life? If not, what would I change.
-What role has waiting played in my spiritual journey?
-What is the hope I cling to during difficult times?