While my parents are out of state I am helping water the outdoor plants. Any other day the rain doesn’t really matter to me. True, I try to schedule my errands around it, but it doesn’t make or break my plans.
But this evening as I stepped outside and noticed the clouds rolling in and the distant thunder, I found myself waiting on the rain. I checked the radar, but it was clear with such a minimal chance of rain it almost didn’t seem worth mentioning.
The evening was getting on and I weighed whether or not to wait on the rain or go ahead and pull out the hoses. Odds were good the clouds would blow by. It takes about an hour to get it all done so I figured the sooner I began the sooner I’d finish.
I considered what other outside things I needed to address and took care of them. It still wasn’t raining once I finished them, so I pulled out the first hose. As I watered, someone pointed out the thunder and clouds and the possibility that it might rain. “By watering I might just guarantee it does!” I teased back.
I continued watering for another twenty minutes or so and as I pulled out the third hose it began to sprinkle. I went ahead and took care of all the plants the third hose reached. Again, someone kindly mentioned the rain to me. It was falling gently and quietly, but steadily. “Yes, and by watering I might just guarantee it keeps raining,” I again teased.
As I finished with the third hose I pondered the rain. It wasn’t falling heavily and odds were even as to whether it would continue or quit. “If it’s still raining when I’m done with this hose,” I decided, “I’ll stop for the night and let the rest of the plants be watered by the rain.” It continued to rain gently, and I pondered the rain.
Up until the rain effected me – whether or not I needed to help water – it didn’t really matter to me. And isn’t that true of so many things in life? Until we need or are looking for a job, job opportunities don’t really matter to us. If our vehicle runs fine, we’re not typically looking for a replacement. If the air conditioner is doing it’s job, then we aren’t generally shopping for a new one.
But shift those parameters just a bit and what we focus on changes dramatically, doesn’t it? I had spent the second part of the afternoon waiting on the rain in the back of my mind.
And it’s interesting, even though clouds and thunder indicated that it *might* rain, that wasn’t quite enough for me, because I wanted to get it done sooner rather than later. Was I showing impatience or naivety by going ahead and starting to water? Was it ingratitude that kept me watering even as it began to sprinkle? That wasn’t my intent in the least.
Rather I did what I knew to do. I completed all the outdoor tasks that I could before I even began the process of watering. And as I worked on watering, I kept in mind that God might change my plans at any moment with a rain shower or He might have me be faithful in the task set before me. Neither answer was wrong, I simply had to wait and see.
I think it is important to remember that even when things don’t happen as quickly as we might hope (because let’s be honest – do they ever?) that doesn’t mean that the rain won’t come. It might just not come today or while we’re out watering and looking for it.
It’s not up to us to take matters into our own hands – but rather be faithful in the tasks we can do. Even, and perhaps especially, those that have us waiting on the rain.
Until Next Time!
Hope.
PS. Keep reading: https://www.theamericanlady.com/2019/10/16/prepare-for-rain/