When I was a kid I enjoyed the rain so much! When we went outside while it was raining I got to wear my bright purple, shiny, slick plastic raincoat and rain boots to match, there were umbrellas to twirl around and I would jump in EVERY puddle no matter how big or small! The movement and splashes made me laugh and feel alive. Rainy days usually meant watching Disney movies while eating Top Ramen soup and grilled cheese. The predictable warm food and laughter made me feel secure and safe. Walks along New York City streets during the rain were visually exciting as I watched reflections of car headlights zoom along wet pavement. Thunder and lightning though....not so fun as a kid, but God has redeemed those wonders!
Living in Cambodia has given me new appreciation for rain. I have friends whose families are rice farmers and they depend on rain in ways I never did. The rain is a necessity for them to be able to provide not only for their personal families, but for many other families as well. The ground needs the rain if it is going to be able to produce its crop.
It is much the same in our own personal lives. Our hearts represent ground, they are the places where things grow. We choose what kind of seeds we allow to be put in our ground and then we care for those seeds and they grow.
"He covers the sky with clouds; He supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills." -Psalm 147:8
Hopefully, we choose good seeds and we use our influence to give good seeds to others. Seeds that will give us fruit such as love, peace, faith, joy, wisdom, generosity, kindness towards others, deeper intimacy with God, desire to serve, passion to see people know Him more....this is the kind of fruit I long to be produced in my life. They grow well, they are healthy for the heart, they make the ground soft and ready to receive more.
But.....
Unfortunately, sometimes the seeds we allow in the ground that is our hearts and lives are not the good kind. And, sometimes, when we are young, the grown ups around us allow harmful seeds to fall in our fields. Seeds that produce bitterness, anger, doubt, fear, selfishness, pride, jealousy, independence... These are not good for the ground of our hearts and lives, they become rocks and thorns that make our hearts hard and slower to receive what God wants to produce.
It's our job to make sure our own heart, the ground we've been given is ready to receive growth.
When rain falls growth happens.
Only God can send the rain.
Only He knows how much we need for our ground.
He won't give us too much; we won't drown.
He won't give us too little; we won't lack.
We don't need to fear the rain; it's His blessing.
If our hearts aren't ready the blessing won't be received.
"He will also send you rain for the seed you sow in the ground, and the food that comes from the land will be rich and plentiful." -Isaiah 30:23
God and I, we're working on preparing the ground of my heart for the blessing He wants to give, the growth that will surely happen when its season is here. I've had many seasons of preparing, receiving and growth in the past so that gives me confidence and hope like never before during this season of preparing. I didn't know until-through some friends, some words, some experiences, some prayers, some reading- God helped me see that there's an entire section of my heart, our ground-mine and Jesus'-that was not prepared to receive His rain. In fact, as I've let Him guide me I've been discovering giant boulders of unforgiveness, stones of fear, thorns of insecurity...just to name a few... And He is helping me break them down, throw them far and pull them out so our ground can receive that rain of blessing and growth can take place.
I'm looking forward to the rain, I've always liked it :-)
And, do you think your ground is ready? What would He have you do to prepare for the rain and then the growth?
And, do you think your ground is ready? What would He have you do to prepare for the rain and then the growth?
