Oh, LORD, I’m afraid of when the rain comes!
I spent my lunch break on the patio behind the university administration building where I work, looking across the quad toward Mt. Saint Helens. I’ve lived in the Pacific Northwest for just over two months. They’ve been sunny months with mostly cool evenings and warm, breezy, rain-free days. But just as the car radio told me again this morning: “It’s been more than a month since we’ve had any measurable rain– it’s coming!”
Yes, it’s coming. And being prone to depression—especially during gray weather—I dread it. So I spent my lunch break watching the dry clouds, like cotton bolls being pulled and combed for spinning, and the worry twisted in me.
What will I do when the rain starts?
It could have just been the breeze picking up or the way the sunlight suddenly hit the grass and made it almost seem like liquid, but I think I felt God’s laughter. Not a condescending laughter, but a Father’s joyful laughter. And then I think I heard His voice saying, “Don’t dread the rain. It will steal the joy of the sunshine. And don’t fear the rain because it isn’t a life-stealer, it’s a life-giver. Do you see how green the grass is because of it?”
One of the things I love most about the Pacific Northwest is the way I feel alive when I’m here. Part of it is the abundant year-round green of the trees that reminds me that I’m alive. And that green—the verdancy and the life—they come because of the rain. I know that the rain will come. I moved here from 3,000 miles away, knowing that my feet would be wet more days than they would be dry and that I would need to carry more umbrellas than sunglasses.
As I watched the clouds spread further and further across the sky and melt away, I thought about how often I’ve allowed fear of the future to steal my joy in the now. I realized how so many of those moments I’ve feared – the storms I’ve dreaded – never actually came. And I made a resolution in my heart to try to learn not to fear the rain, but to learn to dance in its life-giving downpour.
Oh yes, Sarah this is so true…..I have learned to dance without the rain, in the desert, but oh how I rejoice when it comes. Moving has taught me one thing, that every area has its own magical beauty, even the desert, even rain day after day…..Beautiful words and wisdom. Thank you for sharing. And I must admire your courage in moving that far away from your family 🙂 Lori
Lovely post Sarah, and now I know why that scripture verse resonated so much with you. I’ve always wanted to visit the Pacific Northwest, it’s on my bucket list. Such beauty there.
Sarah, I love the way you write. I loved living in the Northwest and enjoyed taking long walks in the rain. But I do have a tendency to fear change. We moved to St. Louis 2 months ago and are learning a new area. It’s beautiful here too. Always trying to find a place to be useful and a bless others. Thanks for sharing your amazing insights.
Your post is beautiful! Thank you so much for being vulnerable, Princess Sarah.
“And don’t fear the rain because it isn’t a life-stealer, it’s a life-giver. Do you see how green the grass is because of it?”
And so I think…would our lives dry up with too much sunshine? Do we need some dark days and the rain in order to grow up and green up?
I want to visit the Northwest someday…