Tip of My Iceberg

We’re at the point in summer when rain is predicted every day. We have seasons of drought where we long for more rain. And now when we get more rain, it’s very easy to whine about excess moisture.

Lately, with our intense heat and high humidity, we’ve had a lot of electrical storms, with wild displays of lightning that spark the sky like a massive fireworks display. It’s beautiful and terrible all at once, whether bolts appear to be hurled from the heavens or sheets blanket the sky with brightness.

Our newly planted landscape tends to wither in the intense sun. Rain on a consistent basis keeps our water bill down and gives our plants what they need to thrive. So when what is expected doesn’t happen, the plants droop and we haul out the hose.

Rain is necessary for life. We all need it to sustain our day-to-day existence, farmers need it to grow crops, which keeps us fed and able to live with what we need. In places where there is limited rain, life is more of a struggle for sustenance. Clean water is life-giving.

It can also be a problem. Too much rain causes flooding and mudslides, a totally different issue to deal with.

Apart from the massive help and hurt it can cause, there’s also the inconvenience of rain and lightning.

My kids, and now my grands, play soccer. Rain alone won’t prevent kids from playing. I’ve stood on fields and have watched my kids hydroplaning over the grass as they chase after a ball. We learned early on to carry a supply of towels with us during this season to keep the mud at a minimum.

When lightning is part of the mixture, practices and games are put on hold for half an hour until it’s safe to play. If lightning strikes within that time period, they wait another half hour. Too many times we’ve waited an hour, only to have practice finally canceled.

Our ability to predict the weather has improved dramatically over the years, but there are no guarantees that a forecast will be correct.

Life is full of what we can’t control or even predict what will happen. We can anticipate with knowledge, we can plan with intent, and we can prepare for unseen options.

Right now we’re in the midst of unexpected occurrences, things we didn’t expect to happen. Responses are different depending on personal circumstances.

But we can’t stop living. We can’t quit in despair. God has given us what we need for today, a sufficiency that doesn’t come from our current situation. He has promised to be our Enough, even when we’re weak and have no resources of our own left.

He longs to provide us with the strength and hope we need. Particularly when we see no hope.

No one knows how long our current circumstances will go on. Quitting can’t be part of the game plan because it leaves us with no hope.

Hope in the Lord. He is our Enough.

Come rain or shine.

Because it will rain.