Your first drop may have been a diagnosis given by a doctor with a grim face. Perhaps it was a note left on the kitchen table that said, “I’m sorry but I don’t love you anymore.” It could have been a phone call late at night and someone on the other end telling you the unthinkable.
Or your first drop may have come so softly you didn’t even recognize it.
You tried to start a family and after another negative pregnancy test realized something might be wrong.
You took a promising job and one day discovered that your computer screen might as well be a “dead end” sign.
You began a relationship only to discover that your dream come true has started feeling a bit like a nightmare.
No matter how your first drop fell, it was probably followed by another…and another…and another. Now your heart is soaking wet and you’re wondering if you’ll ever feel warm and dry again.
The good news is God knows even more about rain than any scientist. He knows the destruction it can bring. He also knows how to redeem it and use it to bring beauty and hope to our lives.
Take a quick look out your window. Every flower or tree you see owes its life to rain. Every bird singing, every frog hopping, every living thing draws its strength from storms.
I’m not saying God caused the storm in your life. We live in a broken world and things are not as they should be. But I do believe that God is the Redeemer of the Rain. He longs to bring beauty out of brokenness, healing out of hurts, and new life out of losses.
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The words above are from a book, Rain on Me: Devotions of Hope and Encouragement for Difficult Times, that was published three years ago. Time has gone by and my storm hasn’t stopped. But neither have the hope and unexpected joy I’ve discovered in the middle of it.
The reason why that’s possible is the same reason we celebrate this week–Jesus.
I don’t say that lightly as a cliche or a quick Christian fix. I say it as a woman who has stood in a storm for over seven years and has seen with her own eyes that every drop can be a flower waiting to happen.
This week I’d like to take you by the hand, whisper to your heart, and walk through the rain with you as we get ready for Easter.
Will you join me?
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