When life rains

Oh Upstate NY.  It’s raining today, again.  Not just rainy but chilly.   

Minus the need for some Vitamin D, I’m one of those people who loves the rain.  I took a walk in it the other day just to clear my head.  Rain boots, umbrella and all.

It’s the sounds that get me.  The droplets hitting the trees, the water flowing out of the down spouts and swishing onto the grass, the patter of the rain hitting the road and filling the puddles and the birds singing, playing and fluffing their wings in my neighbor’s bird baths.  It fills my soul.  

Early this morning as I was standing in my doorway taking in all the sounds I heard what I thought was a car coming down the street.  So I quickly hid behind the door, because I’m still in my pjs, and waited.  No car.  As I looked outside I realized it was in fact a strong breeze blowing over the tops of the tall pine trees causing all the rain drops on the branches to waterfall onto the ground.  I watched and listened to this breeze blow just the tops of the trees all the way down my street.  What a strange phenomenon!   To see and hear the effects of the wind but not see the actual wind was beautiful.  As if God’s hand was just brushing over the tops of the trees as he walked down the street.

As in nature, in our lives the rains of trial come.  Sometimes, they come over and over again.  We can get caught up in the dreary, gray weight of it all so easily.  To wake up to the chill of life’s breeze and dampness of our heart can overwhelm and cause us to pull the covers over our head.  Proverbs 15:13 says: “A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.”  I love verses like this that cut right to the core!

Have you ever seen the coffee mug that simply says “Nope.”?  Today can be one of those days.  OR, today you can stand outside, in the rain, and listen to the sounds.  Choose to see beauty amidst the rain.  How do you do that?  Let the sounds of thankfulness fill your soul.  Make a list of all that God HAS done for you today.  Recount what he has done for you in the past.  And take some time to read His Word and fill your mind with truth.  Change your focus and you can change your day.   Some days it’s that simple.  Choose a joyful heart!  

#preachingtomyself #iwantacheerfulface 

Psalm 28:7 NLT

The Lord is my strength and shield.  I trust him with all my heart.  He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.  I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.