Life: When it Storms

We have now entered that time of year, thunderstorms and rain will be a regular part of life for the next couple months here in the Midwest. I personally am not a fan of the dark dreary days that generally accompany this rainy season. The rain and storminess itself feels like a downer to me as I anxiously anticipate my favorite time of year, summer.

As I thought about this I thought about the fact that in a lot of cases rain is referred to as not such a good thing. Phrases like “when it rains it pours” are usually used in reference to bad situations happening one right after the other. Sometimes we talk about a “stormy season” in life. Overall the metaphor of “rain” or a “storm” is often negative.

However, even as one who is not a fan of the rainy days I have watched in amazement as right before my eyes the brown grass has quickly turned green, the trees that appeared dead are surely starting to bud. I have even watched spring flowers pop up and bloom in a matter of days as we have steadily received the rain.

This is a lot like what happens in life. Sometimes the “rainy seasons” of our lives our filled with heart ache, betrayal, trials, and discouragement. I personally have experienced what felt like storms in my life after the loss of a loved one, or at times when I was betrayed by friends. I have felt like the rain was pouring when met with financial strains, when struggling emotionally, and when physically ill.

But, one thing was true after all of these different storms in my life. I came out of the other side with growth. The Lord worked during those times to spring up new life inside of me, to make me stronger. Much like the grass and trees, that as the storm rages they begin to grow again and at the end of the stormy time they come out healthier, more beautiful, and they continue to grow.

Today I thank God for the different storms I have faced because I know that He used those times to continue growing me into the woman of God He desires for me to be. It doesn't mean the storms in life will be easy, it just means after the storm has passed we can look back and thank God for how he shaped and grew us during that time.

Romans 5:3-4 “…But we also glory in our suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”