Raindrops

Help me find beauty here
Here as the rain pours
As my feet are soaked
As I wait
Let expectation prevail
Let patience endure 
Let me cherish this
As I adventure beyond
Self-doubt
Fear
Frustration
To
Gratitude

I am here

I can feel and savor
I am able to listen
Help me, God
To savor my blessings
To collect them like raindrops in a bucket
And delight in the overflow

We were walking down a steep, muddy hill in the Jamaican countryside. Many generations have wrestled with this hill.  They have learned to maneuver the hill without falling.  It was a rhythm that I did not yet master. I still prodded along, filled with wonder at the sight all around me. I was surrounded by swaying palm trees submerged in the deepest, richest green. The muddy earth was a fiery red and the sky blazed with cool blue hues.  I danced an awkward tango with the curvature of the hill. The dance was filled with me falling and getting up again, gazing at nature and committing to the climb. My family and I were eager to get to our destination, which was my mother's childhood home. We knew that it was a tedious journey back, where we would have to climb uphill to get back to the main road. I certainly was not helping in the speed department with my constant oohing and aahing at the scenery.  Once we got to the house, I wandered off a bit to explore and commune with nature. Being in nature helps me to be still, to slow down and remember that God created, and He takes care of his own.

Before long, it was time to go uphill and return home. As we were headed back, the heavens decided to give us a gift and it began to pour. Everything and everyone on that stretch of earth was drenched and saturated with rain. Motion became difficult, yet we tried anyway. We hasted on against the persistent showers, insistent on getting back to our car that was patiently waiting for us. Yet somewhere amid the hustle, laughter escaped from our lips.  It was as if God was trying to get my attention, as if He were whispering to me to be still, to enjoy the rain. To find joy in the downpour.  We ended up back to the car, drenched, soggy, yet grateful.

Be still and know that I am God... Psalm 46:10a
As I reflect on that sacred time when I was caught in the rain, I remember feeling free, free to prance and frolic and play. Granted it was a short time, but it was such a gift. Stillness, a conscious awareness that God is in control, that He is in charge. We often are in such a hurry to get to the next thing that we miss the beauty of where we are. We miss what God is doing and we mistake His blessings for barriers in our progress. But He wants to teach us to be still. He wants to teach us to play in the rain to delight in His provision, to delight in Him. 

Take time to notice
Take time to soak in the refreshing rains of God's presence
Take time to abide and rest in Him.
Be found in Wonder
Be still 
Let Him drench you
With His love and grace
Take Notice
Give thanks
“Be still and know that I am God!
    I will be honored by every nation.
    I will be honored throughout the world.
Psalm 46:10