Rainfall

I'm sitting here on the porch of my favorite coffee shop, my personal getaway for serenity, and it's raining. Not the pouring kind of rain, not the harsh sloppy kind. Just the light gentle kind. The kind of shower that reminds me of how rain is a pleasant thing, not just a taxing thing that makes our driveway muddy and keeps our puppies stinky. Nope, this rain is slow, cascading...it's beautiful, it's full of life. Not pressing, not forcing itself. Just...present.

As I sit here on the covered porch, I was daydreaming about the rain, all while my gaze was fixed on the shrubbery at the base of the porch. When I woke from my daydream, I realized I was staring at the shrubbery (sometimes this incognizance is embarrassing - ever wake up from a daydream and realize you've been unintentionally staring at something completely inappropriate, like someone's butt or something? Alas, thus is price of daydreaming I guess). But as I wakened to the sight of the shrubbery, I noticed something profound: the rain was affecting the shrubs. Most of the time, humans don't like the effect rain has on us - dodging puddles in our suede shoes, hoisting umbrellas so as not to look and smell like a drowned rat all day. I remember my gram used to rig a plastic bag over her freshly permed hair before venturing into the wet weather. I thought it looked funny.

We've all dodged the dewy droplets from the sky, but as I sit and watch how the shrub is affected by the rain, I'm overcome with inspiration. This is what I learned from the shrubs today:

1. The wetness may be inconvenient for us, but for them, it is essential. It is crucial. They don't mind sitting it in the least bit. In fact, they seem to enjoy it. Which leads me to the second thing I learned...

2. The shrubs' posture is affected by the water. The misty rain is too fine today to stir the plant life, but the droplets from the overhead gutter create quite the stir in the posture of the shrubbery. As each giant water drop falls onto the leaves of the bushes, they bend. They are roused. They come alive. The leaves are no longer arid, but clean. They are being shaken from their sleep to drink and be nourished. They are dancing to the feel of the drops on their skin. They are not hurt by the rain, as it may seem by their bending. For the rain brings a healthy movement, and like all creatures of our God and King, we all need a good stirring to sift out the complacencies we struggle with in this wounded world.

Now, you can imagine what daydreaming this stirred in me! This is such a direct and brazen image of our ever-unfolding life God intended for us: the rain is good, it is crucial, and it stirs us with life. Look over the course of your week, your month perhaps, and tell me: what has been your rain? What has stirred you to life? What has made your soul dance with nourishment? Leave a comment and share!