What The Rain Does To Me

 I was out walking my dog a couple of nights ago when I was surprised by rain. It wasn’t in the forecast and it was too dark to see the type of clouds overhead so I did not venture out expecting it. 

At first it was like “Ugh” because it was not a warm night and I had not brought a jacket. But I realized I actually didn’t mind it. In fact, I was surprised that I was enjoying it. There was a strange sense of groundedness that it gave. So I went with that feeling and decided to explore the explanation.

Lately, things have seemed a bit chaotic, out of control. The pandemic has made everything a little more complicated and there is that subconscious stress that I keep talking about. We are in control of our waking conscious thinking but we are not always aware or in control of what is beneath the surface. This may become more evident as we get back to the routine of school, realizing that this routine is very different from what we have known in the past.

Let’s face it, if we have any routines none of them are what they used to be. This causes more stress than you may be aware of. It gives a false sense of having no control.

Then there is the rain.

There are things we can control and there are things we cannot. I can control when I go to sleep but I can’t control tomorrow’s weather. I can control what I eat but I can’t control my Prime Minister’s decisions. I can control what I watch but I can’t control the content of the news. I can control the thoughts I dwell on but I can’t control what my neighbour says and does.

Did you notice something there? I can control myself but I can’t control you. I can control myself but I can’t control the world. I can control myself but I cannot control the politics. I can control myself but I can’t control the weather. The only thing I have any authority to control is myself.

So that is what the rain is doing to me, grounding me in the reality of my Father’s creation. There is nothing I can do to stop the rain. The rain is something my Father put into motion. There is nothing I can do to stop the sun from rising in the morning. This too is something my Father put into motion. There is nothing I can do to stop him from loving me, from being with me, from desiring me, from believing in me. This is something he put in motion when he said “Let there be light” and he has not looked back since and the proof of it is found on the cross.

This world might look like it is out of control but none of it comes as a surprise to my Father. He was aware before I was born and he planted things in my path that I will need in every step of my journey. He knew it all and he planned for it. But I must exercise control over me, take my eyes off the problem and discover the solution he planted before I was born and that he has made available to me now. He doesn’t make it easy but he does make it simple. I just need to look for the things of the Kingdom.

In every dark moment, I am to turn from the darkness and find that gold nugget, that glimmer of light. All good things are from above so in the dark we look for the good things, the positives and there we will find him and our encouragement. We will find the treasures, the hope, the joy, the things to celebrate and lift up.

Face it, anyone can see the dark. It does not take any discernment to see the negative, the hopeless, the decay, the loss. It takes a heart determined to seek our Father and the things of the Kingdom to discern what the darkness tries to hide : hope! Let those who have ears to hear, hear. Let those who have eyes to see, see.

So this is what the rain does for me, it reminds me that the things I do not have the authority to control are in the hands of my Father. He’s in charge and I am glad he is. So I will control what is mine to control, and I will use that to chase after the things of the Kingdom, even, or maybe especially, in the dark.

Who Is In Charge Of Your Life?

Who is in charge? We have this great illusion of freedom but we aren't truly free. We can't do whatever we want. There are laws that we must follow. Beyond that there are all the government regulations. I can't just open a business wherever I want to sell whatever I want. There are zoning regulations, permits, permissions and approvals that need to be sought. I can't build whatever house I want wherever I want. I can't even really say whatever I want to say, as much as we say we have free speech. Free speech, within reason, we say. We are accountable for everything we say and do, and often the things we want to do are not permitted. This same lack of freedom also exists spiritually.

In many ways we are enslaved spiritually whether it is to sin or to the righteousness of Jesus. The Spirit explained through Paul:

Don’t you know that if you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, that you are slaves of the one whom you obey? That’s true whether you serve as slaves of sin, which leads to death, or as slaves of the kind of obedience that leads to righteousness. (Romans 6:16)

Now if we have voluntarily and willingly submitted ourselves in obedience to Jesus then we know that we no longer own our lives. Our longing is the will of Father so then we should not expect that anything happens by chance or that anything is meant to destroy us. The Word tells us that he uses everything for our benefit. How Yahweh works is seen in the life of Joseph.

Joseph had it bad. His brothers were jealous so got rid of him by selling him. He ended up a slave in Egypt and eventually an imprisoned slave. He had every right to think his life had gone off the rails but he stayed faithful and believing. He soon found himself in the courts of the king and soon responsible for the country. When he was re-united with the brothers who had sold him Joseph was able to say in truth:

God sent me before you to make sure you’d survive and to rescue your lives in this amazing way. You didn’t send me here; it was God who made me a father to Pharaoh, master of his entire household, and ruler of the whole land of Egypt. (Genesis 45:7-8)

"You didn't send me here; it was God." Who's in charge of your life? You? Your boss? Circumstances? Or are you willing to see how Yahweh is using you to bring about his will in the lives of others? Are you willing to see the challenges in your life as Yahweh's way of positioning you for his plan? Are you willing to continue serving with all your passion regardless where and to whom he sends you? Who is in charge in your life?