Showers Bring Flowers

Drip drip drop little April showers....

There is something so comforting about rain.  I grew up in the south in an 1800's farm house and was lulled to sleep by the pounding rain on the tin roof many nights.

Sometimes we look outside and see rain, and think "Oh bummer, what a lousy day." We can easily forget that the rain is a blessing.  It is because of the rain we have green grass, beautiful blooming flowers, an abundance of fresh grown produce, plenty of water to drink and use.  In North Carolina we used to have dry spells, where there were water restrictions, where we couldn't wash our cars!

I look at my kids and see how they enjoy the rain.  They want to run out and play in it, stomp in the puddles, relish the sensation of raindrops falling on their faces.  Today I woke up and it was pouring!!  My son came in kinda down, and said "Oh, it is raining"  I had a decision to make, was I going to see the negative, or point out the positive.  "Yes it is!  And I am so glad!  We needed to water our garden anyway!"  He was in a better mood instantly and before I knew it he was outside splashing and having the best time.

Do you know that God's word is compared to the rain?  “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”  Isaiah 55:10-11

Just like we need the rain to cause the flowers and fruit to flourish and ripen, we need to be filling ourselves with God's word to begin producing fruit in our lives.  When we "hide his word in our hearts" it gives us seed (verses to share with others) and bread to eat(spiritual truths to feed on).  Give us today our daily bread.  Matthew 6:11

We had our afternoon tea out in our sun room which has an aluminum roof.  The rhythmic rain beating on the metal brought back precious memories of my childhood.  The chilliness in the air made the warm tea oh so enjoyable.

The kids enjoyed the rain in and out of doors and got to associate the same sound of rain on a tin roof with comfort just as I did.  How wonderful to enjoy God's blessing of rain.