Rain, Rain, Go Away

Rain rain go away,
Come again another day.
Little Johnny wants to play;

After four days of rain here in Florida, tropical storm Fay continues to linger around. As a kid, I remember saying the above nursery rhyme when the weather was bad and kept me inside. Waking to the sound of rain this morning brought the short chant back to mind.

It's not the rain that bothers me, it's the company it keeps. Torrential down pours accompanied with high wind gust and conditions right for tornadoes isn't exactly conditions conducive for singing in the rain.

When will it stop?

I don't know.

Two different friends with two totally different hardships going on in their lives asked me the same question. "When will it stop?"

I don't know. The torrential down pour in their lives are very real and at this point, no end is in sight.

The little rhyme mentioned earlier has an interesting history. Spain and England were rivals. In 1855, the Spanish attempted to attack England with a larger fleet of ships only to be soundly defeated. The English victory was attributed to the swiftness of their ships and the stormy weather that scattered the Spanish Armada fleets.

The rain actually helped to bring about the victory.

Is it possible for the rain in our lives to bring about victories? Ask, Silas and Peter. They were beaten, jailed, and chained for doing something right. The rains poured down in their lives and they worshiped.

"When will it stop?" They didn't know, but it didn't keep them from worshiping the God they knew to be real.

"Rain, rain go away,
but I will praise Him anyway."

Praising is a choice that cannot be taking away by circumstances.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place

The old cliche "between a rock and a hard place" came to mind as I listened to the retelling of a National Geographic film clip. Having been lured away from the herd, a wilder beast calf was in a race for its life as it was chased by cheetahs.

Being caught at the edge of the river, the end seemed near for the young animal. Death by cheetah. Not a way I would want to go. Suddenly a crock appeared from nowhere and grabbed the trapped calf. A tug-of-war pursued. Death by cheetah, crock, or being ripped into. Wow, the calf was caught between a rock and a hard place.

Amazingly, the rest of the herd had been watching and a few of the bulls ventured forth. They attacked. The cheetahs let go, the crock let go and here is the miracle, the calf lived!

All appeared hopeless and the calf lived in spite of being caught in an impossible situation.

Over the last few months I have faced situations where the outcome seemed grim. It's strange that the survival of a wilder beast can give me hope.

So does Psalm 33:19
"He rescues them from death and keeps them alive in times of famine."

My Past Finally Caught Up With Me

Tired, late at night, and distracted can equal a date with disaster; especially when behind the wheel of a car.

Having arrived back in town after almost three weeks of being away, I opted to go to a meeting Tuesday night. I wanted to go, yet after flying Orlando to Seattle, back to Orlando to Philadelphia and back to Orlando, fatigue had caught up with me.

Heading home Tuesday, I was quickly yanked out of my tiredness when a blue and white lights appeared in my rear view mirror. Heart pounding fast, I pulled over.

"Is there a problem, officer?"

"Turn into the next street so we are not in the middle of the road." The command was stern.

Driving well under the speed limit, I drove the three hundred or so yards with the officer close behind me. His lights on the entire time.

My mind was spinning. What did I do?

Speeding? No.

Following too closely? No.

The last thing I remembered doing was moving my purse and cell phone so they would not slide to the floor if I needed to stop. Gut wrenching feelings flood through me. Did I do something while relocating my phone? I had no idea.

Walking up to my window the questions started. Was I aware of the offense I had made? No. Where was I coming from? A friend's house.

"Driver's license, proof of insurance, and registration, ma'am."

Fumbling and shaken, I produced what was requested. As the officer went back to his car my mind tried to embrace what was happening. Had I really done something that required a ticket? I prayed.

Moments felt like an eternity before he returned.

"Mrs. Perkins, how long have you been driving?"

I stopped breathing.

"Since I was seventeen, officer."

He smiled. He actually smiled!

"You have an impeccable record. Just be careful and drive home safely."

An impeccable record? I repeated to myself as I pulled away.

A past of twenty years with no tickets or traffic violations had caught up with me and I had been given favor.

I Want My Mommy!

The tears flowed down his face yet he made no attempt to stop them. Turning away he spoke in an inaudible whisper.

We waited.

Turning toward us again, he said loud enough to be heard, "I want my Mommy." The tears rolled down his face and carried the pain that he felt.

The camera continued rolling as he walked away, shoulders slumped and quivering, he tried to control his sobs.

This easily could be a scene found in a rerun of Lassie, but in actually it is a scene from a reality show. All viewers witnessed a grown man crying and asking for his "Mommy".

The rawness of reality shows can sometimes reveal the unexpected. Why are we so enthralled with someone else pain? Is it because of the pain in our own lives?

The individual lost the dream he had of being #1 and did what came natural to him in a time of extreme disappointment--he asked for his Mom. It didn't matter that he was a grown man.

I was reminded of how often we turn to something that gives us the most comfort when we face the most pain.

When overwhelming disappointment catches you off guard, what do you cry out for. Friends? Family? Material things?

When I'm feeling squeezed like a tube of toothpaste, I can only hope I cry out to the One who brings me the most comfort.

"I want my Daddy." My Abba, Father.