Walking in the Rain

It's been crazy-busy around here the past few days. Many times I have wanted to post some encouraging thoughts for you - like the Grace God served up for dinner through Matthew Saturday - but time has eluded me.
I am heading out the door in a few minutes to speak for a MOPS group this morning, but before I do I want to share with you another of the entries that "didn't make it" into my next book. (Yes, I'm "cheating" by posting something I've already written - but it's the best I can do right now!) Praying God will use these words to encourage and uplift you today!

Walking in the Rain
The first three days of school were beautiful, sunny days and the walk to the bus stop was quite pleasant. But on the fourth day it was raining and Matthew asked me, “Mom, how do we get to the bus stop when it’s raining?” Strange question for a second grader to ask, you’re thinking? Well, prior to this year the kids went to a school which didn’t have busses. I drove them. They never had to walk ten minutes to get into our van. So I understood his question.
To be honest, I was wondering a similar thing. How are the boys going to get to the bus stop this morning? I shouldn’t just send them out in the rain, should I? They’ll get all wet. I can’t send them to school wet! Perhaps I should drive them to the bus stop. Knowing, however, I didn’t want to set that standard, I answered simply, “You walk.”
At first the boys scoffed at the idea of walking through the rain to get to the bus, and I would be lying if I said I did not momentarily take on a Bad Mommy Complex. I speculated if the other parents were going to make their kids walk through the rain. Perhaps they would drive their kids to the stop and wonder, as they saw my kids walking, What kind of mother would subject her children to the elements like this? Someone, call the authorities!
Not wanting to be a Bad Mommy, I asked my husband for his opinion. Reason won out and convinced me the boys would be just fine, even if they got a little wet. In fact, they ended up being excited about the rain because we told them they each got to carry their own umbrella. (With promises, of course, the umbrellas would not become “swords” or some other weapon when the rain stopped!)

Equipping my boys for the rain by giving them an umbrella reminded me of the ways God protects me in foul weather. Sometimes God uses a sermon I hear at church to speak directly to a difficult situation through which I am going. Other times a friend speaks for Him by sharing an encouraging word with me, or by giving testimony to His faithfulness in her own life. Of course, He has given us the Scriptures and they are full of life. On most days you will find me with a Bible verse in my pocket and God has used those scriptures to be my umbrella in the rain many, many times.
Unlike me, however, God never debates with Himself about sending us out in the rain. I questioned my own judgment and ultimately relied on my husband’s wisdom before sending the boys out in the rain with their umbrellas. God knows exactly what we need to make it through the storms in our lives.
While I believe sometimes He does “drive us to the bus stop,” I know He often gives us an umbrella and tells us we need to walk. It gives me great amounts of peace and hope when I consider God’s perfect knowledge of what is necessary in my life to accomplish His purpose in me. I am confident God never looks at a situation in my life and wonders, How is Karen going to deal with this rain today? I shouldn’t let her go through it, should I? What if she gets wet? I can’t let her get wet. She might not like Me anymore. Maybe I should just let her bypass this storm. Rather, He leads me as He knows best, and I am blessed as a result.

So with hugs and kisses and an umbrella for each one, my husband and I watched our boys skip down the driveway in the rain. Brian smiled at me and said, “They are going to get soaked!”
“Yeah, but they’ll dry off,” was my reply.

Your Turn: What are the ways God equips you for the storms in your life? How does it make you feel to know He is never uncertain about the things through which He allows you to go? Take some time to think about the rain through which you have been walking lately. If you're feeling troubled about the rain, talk to God about it. Thank Him for protecting you and ask Him to help you trust His perfect care for you.