Well, who would have thunk it? My rain dance actually worked! We got a 30 minute downpour this afternoon. It got windy and I had to quickly get all the swing pillows picked up before they blew away. I threw them in Penelope’s play pen and headed inside. I sat by the window and watched the rain dance recital of the bamboo forest, swaying up and down, moving side to side in the heavenly downpour. Then it was over and the bright sun appeared to dry up the land.

Everything is now looking green and fresh and thankful for the shower. My garden really appreciated it. As I watched the rain fall I thought of God as a rain shower, raining down blessings on our lives, refreshing our faith and healing us with his holy water when our faith is floundering.

The cycle of rain, from the clouds to the earth to the clouds, mimics the cycle of life. God’s rain symbolizes hope for growth and transformation. Every day is a gift of a new beginning. When we question our faith our rains of tears can be a reminder to search for God’s mercy and compassion. God will nourish our faith when we pray and study his word. God’s words will bless us like the rain blesses the Earth.

In the Bible rain is seen as a symbol of cleansing and purification. Deuteronomy 32:2 reads, “Let my teaching fall like rain and my words descend like dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.” Without the grace of God washing over our souls we would wilt and live as in a drought of faith. We have to tend our faith just as we tend our gardens. Just as gardens need the rain, we need the rain of God’s grace and mercy in our lives to flourish and bloom in our faith.

Remember, too, without the rain there would be no rainbow, a promise from God to never again send rain to flood the earth. I love this quote by Gilbert K. Chesterton. “And when it rains on your parade, look up rather than down. Without the rain, there would be no rainbow.” God’s word blesses us like rain and helps us grow our spirituality. His mercy refreshes our soul and brings us peace.

The sunset is so beautiful tonight, brush strokes of vanilla and aqua, purple and blue, looks like a melting blueberry sundae. I’m waiting to see if Mother Nature will add some dark pink to her masterpiece. I went back outside to check on the sunset and Mother Nature had built a roaring wildfire that blazed across the sky and horizon in flames the color of ripe peaches, so beautifully silhouetting the tree line in jet black. She’s outdone herself, a wondrous watercolor painting to thank God for today’s life giving rain.

“Rain is grace; rain is the sky condescending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life.” — John Updike