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Topic: Rain (09/07/04)
TITLE: Dance of the Heavenly Split By L.M. Lee 09/08/04 |
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Wow!
For fifteen minutes I had danced between nature’s sprinkler and the sky’s umbrella of sunshine. I giggled as I frolicked in the rain that soaked through my clothes and bathed my skin in pure liquid joy. I would step into the sunshine and twirl to spin dry. It was a glorious moment. It was my own fifteen minute paradise moment produced by the clever designs of nature’s paradoxical humor.
I believed no one had ever experienced what I was enjoying! I was anxious to share my joy with all of my friends and family. I just knew they would be as excited as I had been.
And honestly, there probably was a smidgen of pride lurking somewhere in my heart. I had experienced something none of them had. I knew they would all be envious of me when they learned of it.
But it was a silly thing to believe such ideas. I found out how ridiculous when I tried to share my adventure with my friends and family. They fell into two camps. They either occupied the camp of “doubters” or the camp “out-doers.” No one wanted to relive my exhilaration as I retold the momentary delight I had found.
Isn’t that how it is when we finally give up and come to Jesus? Suddenly we are washed in the showers of His unending love. Our clothes are rinsed of the sins that have clung to us for years. Instantly we are dancing in garments drenched in righteousness.
And no one believes us.
They are either “doubters” or “out-doers.” They either deny the reality of God in our lives because it is something they have never experienced or they boast of their own experiences which are presumably much more realistic and logical than a fanatical encounter with the Living Almighty Eternal God.
My experience in the rain that day was real. I have learned over the years, it was not a unique experience. Many other people have danced between dry and wet air. The doubters or the out-doers do not diminish the validity of my experience. They only reveal the emptiness of their own lives.
The Bible talks about rain and latter rains. It admonishes us to wait patiently for the latter rains. The latter rains produce the best harvest.
When frustration enters my heart while waiting for the doubters and out-doers in my life to dance in the rain, I need to remember to be patient. I need to be a watchful farmer. The farmer does not control the rains. The farmer only harvests the lush fruit after the rains.
Father, help us always be confident in sharing our experiences of dancing in the rain with the doubters and out-doers. Remind us to be patient as we wait for the rain. Equip us to be faithful in the harvest when it begins to rain. Amen.
© 9/8/04 Lissa M. Lee