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When It Rains, It Pours
When it rains, it pours. Have you ever said that? I’m sure you have. We feel this way when life’s challenges come in bunches. As I was pondering a topic for this article, I got a phone call from a long-time friend who was crying. She was in the emergency room having been in a head-on collision. This just two months after open heart surgery to repair a heart valve.
Her call came just after I had emailed a brother overseas who was having surgery to repair his coronary aorta. This is his second such surgery. Did I mention that he is blind? And that his daughter, a new single mother, is living back at home? And that she has the same medical condition that caused her father’s heart issues?
Why is it that things occasionally pile up on us? I don’t know if there is a deeper answer than “stuff happens.” Sometimes life sails along on a gentle breeze and we only have to keep a light touch on the tiller. But then the dark clouds stalk on the horizon, the wind picks up, the waves get higher and the storm unleashes its fury. Some thoughts:
1. This happens to everyone. In the throes of shock and pain we might think that we have been singled out. My friend asked, “Why is God doing this to me?” But a little reflection should tell us that we are not unique, that the spectrum of life events come unevenly and painful things befall us disproportionately. This is where it is helpful to share experiences, to open our lives to others and tell them our stories to help them understand that they are not alone. “Weep with those who weep” (Rom 12:15).
2. Enjoy the peace. Is your life currently calm? Rejoice! Is your health good? Be glad! Is your job stable? Celebrate! Don’t feel guilty about receiving God’s blessings. This is just another way for Satan to rob us of joy. Cherish peace, but don’t be lulled into a false sense of security by it.
3. Prepare for the storms. When all is well we don’t envision potential disaster. Thus, we often don’t plan for what may happen. Sometimes it takes the tornado striking nearby to prod us into building shelters, stockpiling provisions, improving warning systems, networking local businesses to provide emergency services, etc. In other words, we must accept the reality of potential trouble in order to seriously prepare ourselves for it. This is not being morbid; it is accepting reality so as not to be caught off guard.
The ultimate preparation is to build trust in God day by day so that no matter what happens, we have strong confidence in His love and care. “But the salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; He is their strength in the time of trouble. And the Lord shall help them and deliver them; He shall deliver them from the wicked, and save them, because they trust in Him” (Ps 37:39-40).
