Rainy Days

I love rainy days, especially when I can stay home, snuggle with my favorite fleece throw and write (or read). I sit in my big, green chair with a steaming cup of coffee listening to the steady "pitter, patter, pitter, patter" of droplets falling against the window.  Rain smells clean, like air from a dryer vent.  I imagine it washing the trees of their pollen dust and hydrating the thirsty birds and flowers.

Rain reminds me of God's infinite mercy.  We walk through sunny days easily, taking for granted the beauty of creation and the bounty of God's provision.  The sun's warming rays fill us with confidence, gratitude, and hope.  But we can't count on every day to bring sunshine.  Eventually the gray clouds of anxiety, pain or grief make their way into our lives.  They cannot be avoided.  That's when we turn to God. Finally, in desperation, we cry, "Help me!"

What if we didn't wait for challenging times to thrust us into awareness of God's presence?  What if we acknowledged our higher power every day, creating time and space for daily dialogue?

When I spend precious time alone with God, not only praying but also listening, I hear Him cautioning me not to become too self-sufficient. Ego tempts me to think I can handle life on my own with my own strength, intelligence, logic and sheer will, but Ego makes me vulnerable to false pride and ultimate failure.

Rainy days remind me to rest in God's infinite mercy every day, to trust in His promise to never leave me or forsake me.  Only a loving Holy Spirit can wash away the stench of fear and uncertainty. When the dark clouds of life's challenges threaten to overpower me, it is God's infinite mercy that restores my parched and weary soul.