For those of you who are new to Life Compass, I write on Spirituality, Faith and Ethics on Sundays. Here’s why.
We’ve had a lot of rain at our house over the last few days. I know that rain is good and we need it to make things grow, but at the same time, I’d like the rain to stop so I can enjoy outdoor activities with my family.
It is interesting to me how rain can be seen as both a blessing and a disappointment, depending on our perspective, or goals, at the time. In fact, on the same day, in the same community, a farmer can be praying for rain while a golfer prays for sun.
In the Bible, rain is often viewed as a sign of God’s blessing or favor. It is provided for our refreshment and growth. Then again, the Flood is an example of how rain can bring pain and destruction.
Matthew 5:45 tells us that “God makes the sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” What this tells me is that everyone receives some amount of blessing or provision from the Lord, and that we’ll all susceptible to various trials and challenges. How we recognize and receive these “rainy days” depends, I think, on our perspective.
Some, like poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, see rain as a metaphor for the challenges and difficulties we all face in our lives at one time or another. I memorized his poem, The Rainy Day, during my university days:
The Rainy Day
THE day is cold, and dark, and dreary; It rains,and the wind is never weary; The vine still clings to the mouldering wall, But at every gust the dead leaves fall, And the day is dark and dreary. My life is cold, and dark, and dreary; It rains,and the wind is never weary; My thoughts still cling to the mouldering past, But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast, And the days are dark and dreary. Be still, sad heart, and cease repining; Behind the clouds is the sun still shining; Thy fate is the common fate of all, Into each life some rain must fall, Some days must be dark and dreary.
Yes, sometimes rain can be a blessing, other times it’s a problem. Rain can sometimes change our plans, and it can even ruin them. How it impacts us depends, I think, on our perspective and response.
The most important thing to remember, as Longfellow mentions in his poem, is that the rain doesn’t last forever. Behind every rain cloud, the sun is still shining.
So, how has rain, literally or figuratively, had an impact on your life?
You might also like:
Speak Your Mind