The Joy of Rain

John 16:33
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

Do you like rain? How about thunderstorms? We love them. We live in the midwest, where a good thunderstorm is very common. We've had a weekend full of them, and we really enjoy them. It's not that we like the destruction that can come from the severe storms, but we appreciate the awesome display of God's power that is very evident in a thunderstorm.

When our kids were in Poland for extended periods of time, one of the things they each mentioned that they missed the most was the thunderstorms of home. It just rains there. While rain and storms can be a nuisance and an annoyance, they are necessary for growth. They also represent many aspects of our lives.

Rain symbolizes the troubles we face in life, but just as with the rain from the clouds, it's hard to have growth in our lives without going through difficulty.

We certainly have been through some thunderstorms in the past 10 months. We nearly lost Tammy after her transplant when she got very serious pneumonia. She has been very sick many times in her recovery, as her body fights off the effects of the chemotherapy that was necessary to kill her old cells so the new ones could take root. And the latest set-back with her gall bladder was yet another microburst on this journey.

But we know that God has overcome the world. He will not give us anything that we cannot handle with his assistance. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12:9, "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'"

Our prayer for you is that when you face life's storms, that you will rely His grace and be able to praise Him.