Rain...

Today I stood in the rain. I haven’t done that in so long…just taken a few minutes to forget about everything and to care about nothing. Children do it all of the time. They lose themselves in something joyful and exciting and forget about everything else in that moment. I needed the rain today.

When Jax was a puppy I used to take him into the side yard early every morning. I would go out with him to make sure he actually took care of business instead of just sniffing walls. And in the few minutes I was out in the early morning air I would pick a point in the sky to look at and just say “thank you” out loud. It was my way of saying good morning to God without prayer and without any expectation…just a moment to be thankful for another day.

It’s been a long time since I have done that and now I find that the only time I do it is when I’m out running around and notice that the day or the weather is nice. Today when it started raining I decided it was the perfect time to take my break from work. I walked outside into the shadows and rain and just stood there. Hands out, face to the sky and all smiles with nothing on my mind other than “thank you”.

While I stood there, the clouds briefly parted to let sun shine through and yet the rain continued. One of my favorite quotes that I’ve mentioned in the past includes the statement, “I believe in God even when He is silent”. It’s moments like feeling the sun shine through the rain that feel like a personal conversation between me and God. And as the rain washed away the dirt from the days prior…it washed away the negativity and the grime from my attitude…leaving behind thankfulness and perspective.

Sometimes it’s not that God is silent…it’s that we don’t take the time to listen.

Take the time to stand in the rain this week.

Love,

Elyse