Waiting for More Rain

I got out and did the chores early this morning.  Well, not that early, but my goal was to be through before the rain came.  We've had some already and it looks dark in the west with more on its way.  I hear it rumbling in the distance.

I enjoy the rain.  I remember as a kid watching it pour for days.  It rained so much that our little old West Texas town was isolated because of flooded roads in every direction.  The playa lakes filled and overflowed, blocking every highway into town.  I can still bring the images to mind as though it was yesterday.

Earlier as I sat here in our living room with the curtain open watching the rain, I thought about how it is soothing as it falls gently.  However, as many around the world experience every year, that which in moderation is a great thing can turn deadly if in excess.  Fortunately, where we live now is well designed to accommodate rain.  Creeks and rivers in every direction allow the excess water to run off quickly. 

Heavy rains cleanse the creeks and the streets and the fields.  They wash the dust from the grass and the trees.  They wash away the loose debris and bring a freshness to the land.  The dangers come when we build where we shouldn't.  Blocking the natural flow of water from the land creates danger because the water builds until it finds a route of escape.

What is the life lesson here?  I think it is that God replenishes and God cleanses by pouring his goodness into our lives until the dams of self-imposed resistance break and the accumulated garbage is washed away.

²⁴ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  Matthew 7:24-26