I'm telling you, I've never seen so much rain in my life. It's been raining where we live every day for literally like three weeks. It's like a rain forest or something, or Seattle at least. Our place is on a bit of a slope, so the water from the neighbor's yard keeps draining into ours every day, which has turned our yard and driveway into a mud pit...and not the fun kind. Rainboots every time we go outside, several puppy baths, more than several harness washings. So, needless to say, Jodi and I are verrrrry tired of the world of wetness around us. In light of this, recently I've been trying to find the silver lining in the proverbial rain cloud and take this whole rain thing with a grain of salt. Frustrating as it is, there's gotta be a bright side. Then it dawned on me - a daydream! All this frustrating rain made me ponder the flip side of the coin and remember all my good memories that have come on rainy days:
1. When Jodi and I went to the Dominican Republic for our honeymoon, it was rainy season. It rained every day we were there, but the storms came and passed so quickly, not one long-lasting shower. Right outside our door was a beautiful view of the very nearby mountain, and I would watch as the huge rain clouds would migrate down from the colossal mountain, as if they were waking from their sleep inside the massive piece of earth. It was breath-taking. The everyday rain was romantic in a sense, keeping the cobblestones shiny and the air fresh, nothing like the so-called "mountain fresh" scent in laundry detergent. What a hoax. Yes, the rain from that week of paradise with my bride added that certain charm that no room service or all-inclusive access could ever replicate - and as a component of our first days together as one, it will always be a part of us.
2. I remember one of the closest I've even been to God was during a rainstorm. It was a college retreat sophomore year at some retreat center in the woods, and most of the retreat was not too far above average for me. The guys I was hanging with the whole trip were pretty apathetic to the functions going on as part of the retreat, so we spent a good bit of the time in our room goofing off. It was wet and muddy the entire trip, but after a couple days of mostly staying inside, card games got old pretty fast. I felt boxed in, and I had to break out somehow. That's when I felt God's Spirit calling me outside...don't get creeped out, it was beautiful. And no, I'm not crazy. It was absolutely pouring outside, and no one wanted any part of it. But I felt a strong urge to spend time with God, and everybody was inside, so I couldn't get alone. So I put two and two together and realized the only way I'd be able to get alone with God was if I went outside. The Spirit was tugging me. I had a strong pull, almost as if God were telling me straight up, "let's take a walk together." It was amazing. I took a walk with God through the wilderness, laughing with Him, crying with Him, asking Him real, hard questions...and you know what? I got some real, tangible answers. I got a lot of peace from that walk in the pouring rain, soaking wet but loving every step.
So that leads me to the end of my daydream, which was this: I wanted to ask you, what's your favorite rainy memory? Comment and tell me!
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