BY REV. ANN MANN
annmann@comcast.net
After a recent rain, I was captivated by the raindrops resting on the budding flowers. The rain is needed for living things to thrive and grow. But sometimes, the weight of the rain seems too heavy. It feels almost threatening.
But if we lean into the rain, if we lean into the one who creates the rain and the flowers, a new day dawns bright and beautiful. The sun will shine again. And the rain has done its job. We are stronger for what we have endured.
This is hard won wisdom. I am stronger today than I was before the sudden loss of my husband. When I find a task is more than I can handle, I ask for help. I am also learning to do things, big and small, that I have never done before.
Here is one small example. My husband Kim was the one who was handy with computers. Not me. So, you can imagine how I felt when I was trying to find the power cable for a TV my husband used as a computer monitor (he never had time to set it up, so the cable was in a box with literally a dozen other cables).
I finally found that cable. Then it was on to the next challenge. I had to find the cables to connect it to the DVR. I needed to figure this out to play a DVR for our confirmation class at church. And I did. I found all the cables and figured it out. Praise be to God.
But there were moments when the weight of all the things I do not know, have never had to know, seemed too much. I was brought to my knees by a box of cables. Really! I imagine there will be more days like that. Here’s the good news. Through it all, I knew I was never alone. I prayed to the God who creates the rain and the flowers to give me patience. And he did.
The weight of the rain can be overwhelming. But a new day dawns bright and beautiful. And after the rain, I realize that I can do this. I can go on, on my own. Because I am not really on my own. I am never alone. You are never alone.
As I look at the rain on the flowers, I think of God’s enduring words from Ecclesiastes, “To everything there is a season…” Yes, this is a difficult, challenging and painful season. But seasons change. So, whatever season you are in, be encouraged, my friend. God will never leave us or forsake us! The sun always comes, after the rain.
Ann Mann is an Emmy Award winning journalist, now serving as pastor to Barnesville First United Methodist Church. Her email is annmann@comcast.net.
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