falling rain

Today surely was not one of the best. It was not one of those days when things went wrong. It was one when it just seems like it was not enough. (Maybe it's just because I recently watched Office Space?)

However, as I walked out of the church office I found it was pouring rain. The parking lot was dark with only a few cars. The rain was steady and seemed like it fell in sheets. As I stood on the step outside the door I was protected from the rain and I automatically paused. I stood there waiting for something. There seemed to be a choice at hand. The rain was an invitation. As I walked across the parking lot the rain was cold, but I didn't want to stand still or get in the car. Then these words came to mind:

"(God) sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." Matthew 5:45

These words come at the beginning of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount as a call to love your enemies. But today they were a simple reminder of God's presence and his love for me.

In ages past, and in other cultures today, rain has been seen as an act of God. It was a basic provision for cultures based on agriculture. Without it families would not eat or have the ability to trade for needed goods. It struck me as odd that today, in an post-industrial culture, rain is often seen as a hindrance or nuisance. Something to be avoided, unless of course there is a drought that means we cannot take as many showers.

As I thought about these words, and how they might be dismissed today, the rain seemed more heavy. The words remained close as well.

The invitation I felt on the step was one of grace. I knew today was not one I could have done, or had done on my own. The falling rain reminded me I was not alone.

The gift of falling rain is one for all to experience. One that invites everyone to remember that they are not alone. That they were never meant to live a day on their own.