Today I would like to share a thought about growing in the rain.
Last Sunday, in Abbey Terrace, as we gave thanks for all those who gave so much for us to enjoy the freedom and privileges that we enjoy in this present day, we were bathed in the most glorious sunshine. The next two days the heaven’s opened and it rained and rained. I am so grateful that it was that way round!
As I have thought about that downpour it struck me as something of a metaphor for the trials of life and I found myself thinking about how here in the UK, even after a glorious summer, no one is immune from the rain. It can be both a blessing and a curse, but without it, we know that nothing can grow.
At times it can also feel like it never stops raining in our lives. No matter how heavy the rain seems to be coming down in our lives, and whatever life throws at us, it is important to reach that place where we trust that God never wastes anything and can use what life throws at us to produce something special.
Our perspective of the rain is important because it will determine how we experience our trials. In the end, without trials, we can never mature in our walk with Jesus. In my experience, and as I see in the lives of individuals in scripture, God uses the seasons of rain to teach us, to mould us, to refocus us, and to grow us. So often rain is what He uses to bring dead things back to life, and when we view it in this way, we can experience Him in the storms that He allows us to walk through.
How we choose to respond to the rain is also critical. We can choose to let it control us, to fight against it, to make ourselves miserable – or we can choose to embrace the pain, seek His presence in the midst of it and let it Him help us grow through whatever challenges and trials we are navigating.
How we come out on the other side of the storms and trials of life is entirely up to us. But I want to encourage us to be a people that cling to Jesus in the midst of the rain, where we allow Him to be Lord in the storm and trust Him even when we cannot see past the downfall.
The truth is that we will all experience pain in this life, and although God doesn’t cause it, He is the Champion of turning what was meant for evil, into good! Pain is never wasted in the hands of a Good God. It is often only through seasons of deep pain that we develop deeper hearts of compassion, humility, and dependence on Him. We don’t just have to go through the pain, we can choose to grow through it, and trust that it has a purpose for God’s glory in our lives.
