God Ordains the Rainy Days

Don’t you just love sunny days? I do. Who needs rain? The sun is more fun. And everyone knows you can’t get too much of a good thing, right?

Of course, the truth is that you CAN get too much of a good thing. Too much sun and not enough rain can mean brown grass and dead plants, just to name a few things.

Rain isn’t as much fun but sometimes it is necessary for growth.

It’s like that in life too. We want things to be easy, life to be perfect. And yet…the rain falls.

We hurt and we suffer due to circumstances beyond our control and our natural tendency is to fight it, to complain. We forget that God brings the rain along with the sun. Hard as it is, we ought to embrace our suffering for the growth it brings.

I know what you’re thinking.

“Easy for you to say, when the worst you are dealing with is temper tantrums and trying to decide what color to paint your living room.”

It’s true -- at this point in my life I’m not exactly the poster child for suffering. So allow me to introduce you to someone. Her name is Jessica, an acquaintance of mine from college and member of my church, and she has endured more suffering in the past 5 years than many people experience in their lifetime. Her daughter, Ava was born with a rare heart defect and is literally a miracle baby (read more about her story here), and not long ago, her husband Josiah was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The time he has left on this earth is likely very short.

With all they have been through, you would think this family would be at the breaking point, and yet I find that I am continually encouraged every time I interact with them. That’s right. THEY are encouraging ME. Sorta seems backwards, huh?

In a recent post on her blog, Jessica writes:

People keep asking me how I’m doing. That’s a tricky thing to answer. It really depends on the day…Most of the time I feel fine…but there are days (like today) where I am walking down the hall and I literally have to remind myself to breathe. Now, between Josiah and Ava, I have a memory down every hallway and around every corner and sometimes those memories take my breath away… today for the first time, instead of feeling sad for all the elderly couples that we always see in the waiting rooms, I was jealous of them. They have something that I want so so so badly. To grow old with the love of my life. To be one of those cute couples that have been married forever and still holding hands. And, in less a miracle happens (which I would welcome with open arms), that’s just not my reality. My reality is that I will probably be a widow before I’m thirty. My reality is that I will probably be a single mom and my kids won’t even remember their Dad. My reality is that I have to prepare to say good-bye to the one person on this earth that I am so close to that we are as one. How am I supposed to do that? Well…I really don’t know. But I take one day at a time and I am learning to deal with the hard days even when I can’t explain them. And I am learning that the ache in my heart is there to stay. And I am learning that it’s OK to not know what I am feeling. But there are days where I long for the peace that I will only feel someday when I am sitting at my Savior’s feet. Oh, how I long for the day when the troubles of this world will vanish. What a day that will be!

Do you see that? That is joy in suffering -- a paradox that is only possible for those who hope in Christ.

In church Sunday night we had a special prayer service and our pastor asked for Josiah to share what was on his heart. He said, “Everyone in this room knows they are going to die someday, but I have the advantage of knowing that it’s going to be soon. I have been given the opportunity to make the most of my time left on this earth.”

Do you hear that? That is a terminal cancer patient praising God for his diagnosis.

This makes me think of the words to one of my favorite songs:

I know they’ll be days when this life brings me pain,
But if that’s what it takes to praise You, Jesus bring the rain.

Praising God for the opportunity to glorify Him through suffering. That’s faith.

Do I want God’s glory if it means I have to suffer? I’ll be honest with you – I’m not there yet. I’m still begging God for a sunny forecast and grumbling the every time it even hints of rain.

Thanks Jessica and Josiah for the example you are setting – God is using you in more ways than you know.