Rain

       Maybe I am doing this because I loved this post so much. Or, maybe I am doing it because I didn't get very much sleep last night, and my creative juices are having a hard time kick-starting. Either way, I decided to repost this for all who missed it the first time around. I hope yall enjoy!

       "As I sat pondering this morning, something I find myself doing often, I began to think about my beautiful Washington, where I consider home. As many know, it rains A LOT there, nearly every day for about two-thirds of the year. As such, rainbows are far from uncommon. Thinking about rainbows, I was reminded of a song I often used to sing as a kid in nursery at church:

          I often look for rainbows, whenever there is rain,
     and ponder all the beauty of an Earth made clean again.
        I want my life to be as clean as Earth right after rain,
         I want to be the best I can, and live with God again

     This song, titled "When I am Baptized", is talking about becoming clean when we are baptized. But, this morning, the first line of this song took on a whole new meaning for me.


     
      When people think of rain, they often associate it with gloominess, dreariness, or even sadness, as opposed to rainbows, which are often associated with happiness, peace, and hope. The line, "I often look for rainbows whenever there is rain", brought on new meaning for me this morning. When there is rain - gloominess, sadness, trials, or struggles, it is important for us to look for the rainbows - things that bring us happiness, hope, and peace, which always come with the rain. Even more, it's important to realize that the rainbows are always there, but it isn't until the rain comes out that we can clearly see the rainbows and fully appreciate them.
   
    There will always be rain at different times throughout our lives. But, especially during those "rainy days", it's important to remember that there are always rainbows. If we will but look for them, we will find them."

                                                   

Travelling through the Fog

     The other day, I was riding in a car early in the morning. I forgot how foggy those country roads can get sometimes. It seemed like we were the only ones on the road with the very thick fog completely surrounding us. A while later, we got to the top of a hill, and as we started down, the fog suddenly opened up, and out of nowhere there appeared a car driving right in front of us. As my gaze continued past that first car, I saw another 8 or 9 cars, one right after another, and this right after I had thought we were all alone on this winding country road. As we continued to drive, I was filled with the reassurance that we weren't alone on the road, and that there were others, just like us, travelling along this windy, county road.

   As I continued to think about this incident, I suddenly had an epiphany that hit me like a ton of bricks. I realized that many times in my own personal life, especially as I have experienced trials and tribulations, I have often felt alone. And then, when it seems like I am all alone, a friend will call and check up on me, or I will run across a scripture that is so perfectly suited to me and what I am going through at that moment, that I could not doubt  from whence it came. In those moments, I am filled with reassurance that there truly is a loving Heavenly Father above, who is mindful of each and every one of us in all that we go through.
    As I thought about those times that I had felt alone, and was then buoyed up, I thought about how there are probably many others that, just like me, feel alone at times throughout their life. And so, with that thought in mind, I have resolved to exert more effort in looking for others that might need a helping hand, to lift them up, and to let them know that they are truly not alone.





   We are all travelling along these roads of life. Once in a while, those roads become covered with a fog so thick, it is difficult to see even a couple of feet in front of us. Though at times it may seem as if we are the only ones experiencing what we are experiencing, we are not alone in this life. We are never alone.  If we call out to God in prayer, He will be there to comfort us. And because there are others that travel along many of the same roads we do, we can then reach out to them and help them, as others have reached out and helped us.