God Blesses Us with Rain

Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (Fifth Sunday of Easter BCP 225)

"Rain, rain, go away, come again another day..." I am not sure why we tell rain to come again another day in this well-known children's song. We rarely want rain to come. Rain makes everything soggy and dampens moods. It puts outdoor events on hold and makes the sky look dreary. With all these side effects, why would we want rain to come again? 

Thankfully, rain does come again. Because we need the rain. We need the water for our environment, we need the break in our own hectic pace, we need the reminder to water ourselves (whether with literal water or those things which make us spiritually full). We need all the good benefits of rain, even if we have to put up with the annoying ones. 

Spiritual times of rain are usually marked by sadness or a lot of upsetedness. They come to us frequently when we don't want them, but they provide lots of good benefits for our continued growth. Rain gives us a time to pause and reflect. It gives us motivation and nurture for the road ahead. It also gives us blessings in disguise. To quote another children's rhyme, "April showers bring May flowers." Perhaps the rain in our lives will help seeds blossom into beautiful flowers.