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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: RAIN (04/18/19)
A plate of cooked basmati rice with a side of sauté vegetables and baked salmon will go down really well for lunch on a cool Saturday afternoon. Of course, this will not be complete without a tall glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. I love food for obvious reasons just like everyone else. The body needs food to survive although we are grateful for the added advantage that food appeals to our sense of taste. The rise of supermarkets and processed foods causes us to forget or think less of how food really gets to our tables. It seems to appear everyday from 8am to 9pm in the supermarket and then on our tables.

However, it takes the availability and interaction of a number of things in just the right place, time and method for the seeds to sprouts, grow into a plant and bear fruit. One key ingredient is water which is necessary to keep the soil moist and conducive for plant growth. That is where the rain becomes extremely useful and necessary. While everybody loves food, not everyone loves the rain even though there is a direct connection between the two. I must confess, I don’t always like the rain. I have actually questioned why there had to be rain during particular days due to the terrible tragedies that resulted as a result of it.

When you recall events where there has been floods and countless number of people displaced, and property destroyed. You begin to disregard the rain and become less pleased with it. You begin to think that the rain is not good. But really when you think about it, the tragedies that occur have nothing to do with the rain. The rain is good and will always be. God causes the rain to fall because it will water the earth, and cause plants to sprout which our lives depend on. We know this is true because we are all trying to fight hunger while can lead to loss of lives. So, then we need the rain and thus it can’t be bad.

Our perception of the rain as a bad thing is due to our lifestyles on the earth and all the things which we have put up, removed, ignored, redesigned to meet our own needs and desires. Our activities on the earth have created a situation where the rain becomes less of a blessing to us than it should be. So then, while on any given day the rain will lead to the sprouting and bearing of fruits, it could lead to an unpleasant event.

While it will put a smile on the face of a farmer who has planed his seeds, it will lead to sorrow for someone who has built his house with no consideration for the movement of water around it. While it will fill up the barrel of someone who wants to store the rain water for future use, it will flood the dwelling of someone who hasn’t made such preparations. The rain will always come down to produce vegetation and food for man, and will not go up without doing so. However, whether that will be fruitful for you depends on your position and the room you have created to receive and use the rain.

This is much like the word of God, which will come down from the mouth of God in Heaven unto the earth and not go back unless it has watered the earth, furnished seed to the sower and bread to the eat. As far as there are children of the Most High on the earth, the word of God will always come from Heaven and be a blessing to them. But in being a blessing to one, it may be distasteful to another depending on your position and if you have prepared yourself as a field waiting for the rain to bear fruit.

For instance when the word of God came to the people of Israel when they were going for war, there was always someone on the other side who it didn’t benefit. This didn’t mean that the word of God was bad, it was just unfavourable to them because of their position.

If all you have is a bear land without seeds, the rain does nothing for you. If you don’t have any land at all, it also does nothing for you. The rain brings about abundance of fruits which can only happen if you are ready for a harvest.
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This article has been read 471 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Barbara Culler 
04/26/19
You covered a lot of issues in this entry! I liked the opening paragraph, even though I don't like to eat fish. It was an attention grabber. I read somewhere to read our articles backwards to edit what we wrote. I've started doing this, for I catch misspelled words, double words, spacing problems, and the use of a word too many times. It's a good tool to use.
C D Swanson 
04/27/19
I enjoyed this entry with an important message.
Well done,
Blessings~
Shann Hall-LochmannVanBennekom 
05/04/19
You have some great points in this essay. It does read like an essay though. By adding some personal things, it could change it from great into spectacular. I don't think you need the first paragraph. You want to really grab the reader right away. Instead I might start out with the second one with something like: I've discovered this world is an intricate place. God makes food available through interactions of things coming together perfectly. The farmer needs to plant the correct seed in the ideal location while getting enough water to make the plants grow.
By doing this, you're showing the man vs nature conflict.
I also noticed you switch voices. You start out with I (which is great for this type of writing), but then you slip into the universal you (which is great for a sermon or how-to book, later into plural first person, to third person.) Instead, I'd urge you stay with first person. For example, it's easy to fix: I recall events where floods displaced countless people and decimated property. I watch TV with tears in my eyes, massaging my temples in an attempt to understand. I start to feel a disregard for rain. Crinkling my brow, I think, <i> Why did I ever believe this rain was good? </i> After pondering for quite some time, I shiver at my silliness. Rain is vital. God causes the drops to tumble from the sky to water the earth. I'd be fighting wicked hunger pangs and trying to avoid death if God didn't send the rain.
This isn't perfect. I tightened it some to help the flow, used body language to show emotion, and thoughts to give MC depth. I turned the you and we into I to make it more intimate, like you're sharing a special story with me.
These are little things though that help paint a picture for the reader from the POV of the MC. But you make some great points that make the reader stop and think. You do a decent job of transitioning and pacing the story. You might want to ask someone to proof it for you to avoid typos like bear land instead of either barren or bare and as far instead of as long. But your message is clear and powerful. I think many can relate to this message. You definitely wrote on topic. You've a lot of potential here. Try to read and comment on every entry in this level and the top ten overall (EC). By doing this, you will be able to figure out what works for you and apply it to your own writing. You have some great talent and a genuine desire to spread the Word of God. I look forward to reading more of your work.