Bring on the Rain

I love a good summer thunderstorm. Living in Utah, I realize that what I might consider a thunderstorm is nothing compared to what those living in the South know as thunderstorms, but for me, I love a good Utah summer thunderstorm.

It’s monsoon season here. Because of the monsoon season, we’ve seen a lot of afternoon thunderstorms the last couple of weeks. The storms we’ve been experiencing in my part of the world have been quite fascinating to me. In the morning, the skies are clear blue, with maybe a few puffy white clouds. The temperature begins to rise, but looking out the window, the day is gorgeous. At lunch time, the sky is still clear and even though the temperature is nearing triple digits, the day is quite nice. Then, the storm rolls in. Around 3:00, the sky begins to darken, clouds roll in over the mountain tops, and within an hour we’ve got a downpour of rain. The rain doesn’t last long, but what it lacks in time length, it makes up for in strength. By the time the afternoon commute comes along, we’re pretty much back to clear, beautiful skies.

The thunderstorms do two things: 1 – they cool down the horrendously hot temperature. For at least a little while, we have cooler weather. 2 – They bring some moisture to the desperately dry landscape. Sometimes, the rains bring floods and other times the rain is just a little trickle. Either way, the rains do come.

These thunderstorms got me to thinking about storms in my life. I go for long stretches of time when the “skies” in my life are clear. My job, my social life, all the million little demands for my time, are all clear and blue. Occasionally, there may even be a little puffy white cloud in my sky. Sometimes, the temperature begins to rise and my atmosphere needs cooling off. This is when the “storms” appear. Almost out of nowhere, my sky darkens, black clouds move in, and my little life is suddenly in the midst of a downpour! At the time, it seems the rain will never stop. But, just like the summer thunderstorm, the rain does stop.

And what do the storms in my life do? 1 – They cool me down. The rain storms remind me of my goals, put my life in perspective, and help me to focus on what’s truly important. Sometimes, I need my atmosphere to be shaken up a bit in order to really focus on what’s important to me. 2 – They bring moisture to my dry landscape. The moisture helps me to grow, keeps me from dying, and brings my soul back to life. I may not realize it at the time, but the “rain” is actually saving me. It’s helping me to grow and to progress.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that rain is good. Storms are good. And I’m thankful for storms in my life.