Dancing in the Rain

Last week, our small group watched a Nooma video titled "Rain". When I first saw the title, I said, "Is it really about rain?" But, as we watched the video, I understood. The guy in the video, Rob Bell, talked about carrying his young son on his back in a baby backpack thing while on vacation. Halfway through their walk, he realized a storm was headed their way. The rain started pouring and the lightning got louder. So, Rob took his son off his back and carried him close to his chest and talked to him all the way back, reminding him that he was going to protect him, that it was gonna be alright. Rob acknowledged that his perspective was different from his son's because he, as the father, knew that he would do anything necessary to get his son back safely. But, to the son, the storm was all he knew, all he could see. So, Rob goes on to explain that if his son were to come to him years down the road and ask him why he made him go through that horrible storm, Rob would be crushed. To the son, it was a frightening, scary, uncomfortable experience. But, for Rob, it was one of the most intimate times he'd ever shared with his son.
Rob then asked us to think about how God must feel when we complain about how He could possibly "take us through the storm", rather than seeing it from God's perspective--that those times are the most precious times He gets to spend with us.
After the video ended, our group started discussing whether God has ever "taken us through a storm" that He didn't ultimately help us through. The concensus was pretty much that, during the storm, we don't always see God answering our cries for help. But, looking back, we pretty much always recognize that God was holding us close, cherishing the time of us drawing nearer and nearer to His heart. I mentioned that I don't understand God's purpose behind why my hubby and I have been in the storm we've been in the past year. But, I recognize that I might just not be "out of the woods" far enough to see it yet. In regards to this past year, my hubby said, "I have felt like God has provided for us, but you've felt like God hasn't provided the way you wanted Him to." Sadly, he's right.
So, this past weekend, I was at the MOPS International Convention. As we sat down for the general session on night 1, The Katinas were leading worship. The song they were singing was Thank You. The line, "Many times I do forget Every need that You have met" hit me like a ton of bricks and I just couldn't keep the tears from pouring out of my eyes. At first, I wasn't even sure why I was crying. As I continued to sing, "Here I am with all I have, Raise my hands to worship You.... Lord, we thank You for the rain", I realized that I haven't truly just stopped and dwelt in gratitude to God and I haven't appreciated the RAIN. Yes, I have thanked other people for what they've done for us during this "storm". I have even thanked God for sparing us some of the situations we could be in. But, I just feel like I haven't truly been still and just dwelt in a place of thankfulness for ALL He has done to show He does care for us.
Over and over, throughout the weekend, I kept hearing about rain. I was reminded of my husband's comment from our small group discussion. I was amazed at how many references were made to rain... as if God were speaking specifically to me. One of the speakers, Margaret Feinberg reminded us that rain happens in just the right amount--not too much to drown out the vegetation, but not too little to cause all the flowers to wither up, either. Even in one of the workshops that I didn't particularly enjoy, the speaker was talking about storms in our lives and how we choose to deal with them. He said, "Don't just wait for the storm to pass...Dance in the RAIN!" Again, speaker Jen Hatmaker, talking about the Lord's invitation to the thirsty said this: "Rain and snow don't come down to earth without watering the soil, nurturing and feeding the earth." Basically, the rain isn't pointless. It has a purpose...even if I don't understand that purpose right now.
So, yah, I was bombarded with "rain" this past weekend and was challenged to choose to dance in the rain rather than wallow in the storm. Easier said than done, for sure. But, a challenge worth attempting, nonetheless.
Oh, and if you want to hear The Katina's song Thank You, you can click here. I've listened to this over and over the past few days.