Rain, rain, go away, come again another day! Living in Ohio, the season of spring routinely offers torrential down pours. Rain has a tendency to keep us stuck indoors. We use umbrellas, wear rain boots, and dodge puddles to avoid getting wet. Extraordinary measures are taken to remain dry while the rain redirects our plans for the day. When it rains, outdoor events are cancelled, people forget how to drive, and basements are flooded. People run to seek shelter as their socks dampen and toes wrinkle. People and springtime showers do not go well together.
Ironically, we are willing to pay the price of an admission ticket for a waterpark full of slippery slides. We may even roundup the family and drive hundreds of miles to feel the waves come crashing under our beach chairs. Sometimes, I am even guilty of gallivanting through the watery arch provided by the garden hose in the backyard. It seems that it is not getting wet that we mind so much, it’s only getting wet when it’s not on our terms that causes us to get frazzled. If only God worked on our terms.
This month, I will begin the interview process for entering into my first call as a pastoral leader with a congregation in Northeast Ohio. Although I love the ministry and I am thrilled to experience what God has in store, I am resistant to the idea of getting wet. Lord of Life has been my shelter. I have been comforted by the overwhelming love extended by people that make me feel safe. Like the rain, God comes into our lives whether we are ready or not. God propels us out into the precipitation, to places where we feel uncomfortable. God most apparently dwells amongst the puddles that lie just outside our comfort zone. We can do our best to avoid getting showered by God’s work, but no matter how much we resist, we will always get wet.
So the next time it rains, we might as well throw on our trunks, unfold our chair, and let the drops wash away our trepidations. God will do amazing and transformational things in our lives when we are willing to let go of our desire for God to operate on our terms. Listen for God calling you out into the rain, where ministry is new and exciting. The sounds of heavy showers can seem frightening from inside, but when we step outside, God’s downpour is energizing, refreshing, and full of life.
Listen, God is calling!
Lucas McSurley