Thursday, September 11, 2008

Rain, don't go away!

I have been hearing about rain from all over. From family and friends in Mexico, Texas, Florida, Thailand, New Jersey and in many parts of my country. As I type this, I can hear the pattering sounds the rain makes as it falls on the cemented road of my neighborhood. For a minute it sounds like it will get stronger, then a minute after, it has become silent.


I have grown to love the rain. To feel the cool air it brings. To breath the “fresher” air it leaves. To just enjoy the sound it makes. It hasn’t been always like this. I hated the traffic it creates, the mark that splashes of dirty water leaves, or the hassle that managing an umbrella brings.


It has been a year since I changed my mind about the rain. It was basically the realization that I can control my reaction about everything around me. It was the choice to see the beauty and not to focus on the negative side of life.


This also reminded me that it is possible to see in a new light the difficult situations we are going through right now. After a month, a year, ten years, experiences and trials that were so painful and overwhelming would then be seen from a different perspective. It would be easier to recognize the hand of God, who has always turned tragedies into something that can be used for His glory.


Would anyone believe me if I say that I did not feel a single irritation about the rain that left me stranded for an hour? Would anyone believe me if I declare that the accident I had a decade ago changed me for the better instead of the imagined ending of a promising future? I lost an hour because of the rain but I gained 60 minutes of reflection. A year passed me by but I earned patience, joy despite the pain, and the faith to go on in face of the unknown.


Yes, the rain does bring floods and devastation. But I choose to remember that it assuages the thirst of the earth to bring forth new life and leaves a beautiful rainbow in the end.


The rains fall all over the world. 

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Lion Chaser Manifesto

Quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. Set God-sized goals. Pursue God-ordained passions. Go after a dream that is destined to fail without divine intervention. Keep asking questions. Keep making mistakes. Keep seeking God. Stop pointing out problems and become part of the solution. Stop repeating the past and start creating the future. Stop playing it safe and start taking risks. Expand your horizons. Accumulate experiences. Enjoy the journey. Find every excuse you can to celebrate everything you can. Live like today is the first day and last day of your life. Don't let what's wrong with you keep you from worshiping what's right with God. Burn sinful bridges. Blaze new trails. Criticize by creating. Worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. Don't try to be who you're not. Be yourself. Laugh at yourself. Quit holding out. Quit holding back. Quit running away.

Chase the lion.

In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson (www.evotional.com)