Blog Life, Not All About Sunshine and Roses

It has been raining pretty steadily today. In fact, we’ve had rain the past several days. Gloomy days wear on me. I have to fight from getting gloomy, too. One way I deal is to turn on lots of lights—the more and the brighter the better.

When there are too many rainy days, complaints start. We want sunshine. We crave warmth. Too much gloom encourages us to become grouchy and gloomy, too. Yet, consider what happens after a rain. The lawn sparkles a rich green. Leaves fill the trees and flowers are more colorful than ever.

Farmers crave rain. They know something many of us prone to complaining and wishing away those rain-filled days do not want to consider. (We’d rather grumble than rise above the gloom to think more positive thoughts.

God never promised continual sunshine. He never said we’d never have rain or bad times or even suffer illness, death, or horrible tragedies. He didn’t create our world that way either. Farmers know without the rain and storms, there would be no crops. Rain, gloomy days and storms are a necessary ingredient to nourish the earth, allowing the sun to do its job as well.

Life is the same. It is through difficult times we most often learn and grow the most. It is during those difficult times we know we need Jesus. If we commit to following Jesus believing that it gives us a pass for hard times, or thinking life will be all sunshine and roses, we haven’t understood what Jesus calls us to do and be. Following Jesus isn’t about ME at all. It is about following Jesus through the darkness as well as the light. If we turn away from our faith because our lives are hard or we blame God for allowing sorrow as well as joy in our lives, we truly do not understand our faith at all.

Following Jesus means we become disciples—spending time daily communing with Him, asking for, listening to, and following His guidance. It is daily reading and studying God’s Word so we know what God is saying to us. How can we say we know what someone is trying to convey to us if we refuse to read the letters or posts sent to us? It is the same with our walk of faith. Prayer and an intimate knowledge of the Bible are bedrock foundations of faith.

As much as I don’t like a host of rainy days, I can focus on not complaining, but praising God for rain that helps plants to grow. With life, instead of getting mad at God for hardships, I can be thankful He is there, He doesn’t desert me, but walks beside me through the hard times—when I turn to Him.

So today, I refuse to complain. Thank you, Jesus for the rain.

© 2022 Carolyn R Scheidies

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