Dear ,    

I'm sure you've heard the saying "April showers bring May flowers" We should have an abundance of flowers with all the rain we've had recently! But have you ever thought that the saying might have something to teach us about the "rain" that falls in our lives?

There are often times that I become really frustrated with the rain that pours into my life. For example; just when we get a little ahead, the car breaks down or the furnace quits working.   Or when things are going along just fine, a really tough situation comes along, we lose a loved one or someone in the family suffers a severe illness or accident.  

When it pours though, we have to remember that God allows "rainy seasons" in our lives for two main reasons. The first is that we ourselves caused them. For instance, if we walk off the edge of a cliff; we're going to fall and injure ourselves. It's not the cliff's fault that we get hurt; it's of our own making. It's like that when we disobey God's Word as well.   We can rationalize all we want to believe something is right, when God plainly says it is wrong, but that won't stop the rain of consequences from falling on our heads.

The second main reason that God allows us to go through a "rainy season" is that He is trying to get us to grow. While we are going through a dreary, overcast time in our life we are more likely to seek Him and to draw closer to Him. We grow as Christians as we learn to stand upon His Word, and lean upon His strength to get us through the storm. Our time in the storm also prepares us for service as God uses our experiences to help others through their times of rain.

So, the next time you are going through a rainy season, remember that God uses that time in our lives to equip us with the things we need to become beautiful, fragrant flowers for His Glory and His service.

Blessings,