Rain

The man looks out the window. Rain falls in heavy sheets. He sighs. Another day of rain. A day disrupted, plans inconvenienced. Sadness and lethargy hang on his shoulders like a heavy blanket. Traveling will be burdensome. What a waste of a day, the man scoffs.

But what if there was another way? Another way to view the same window? What if, just a window over, someone else looked out the window with hope? How could such a contrast exist? Could the same rain have a vastly different meaning for another person? The rain is the same, but the perspective is not.

Usually, rain is a symbol of crushed dreams and a disrupted life. But what if rain can have a cleansing and restorative nature and purpose instead? It is a matter of perspective and experience that paints how we see the same thing.

As a kid, I generally hated rain. It was inconvenient and disruptive. As an adult who worked in landscaping, rain was an important ingredient in the health and growth of the plants I cared for. It was also restful.

It is amazing how time and experience change perspective. What was once an inconvenience has now become life-sustaining. The rain did not change; I did. What is the same is true of our spiritual lives as well?

I’ve talked to and counseled quite a few people who view Bible reading, prayer, and repentance as inconvenient and frightening, even burdensome. They grew up in well-meaning churches that wrongly burdened their people with these practices.

The practices don’t need to change; their perspective of them does. My prayer is that they would see these practices as life-sustaining, cleansing, and restorative. These practices are like rain for our souls. We need them to grow in love toward our Father.

As I have counseled these people, I have started to see them look out the window of their souls and see the rain, but see it differently. For perhaps the first time, they are realizing such practices aren’t disruptive or cumbersome, but life-sustaining and nourishing.

As we look out of the window of our soul and see the rain, will we choose to see it as a hindrance to freedom or a means of growth? Will you allow the rain of the Spirit, through the practices of Bible reading, prayer, and repentance, to grow the seeds of faith buried deep in your soul?

“Rain pouring outside

Growth, restoration begin

A weary soul hopes.”