Rain

Thanks to David's boss, we had tickets to see Phil Wickham, Audio Adrenaline, and MercyMe in concert! David and I, plus my sister Desiree and our friend Mary went and had a great time. The concert was fun, with lots of energy, great music, fun lights, and streamers/confetti, ...

However, my favorite parts were the "spoken" words shared by Bart from MercyMe. He talked about how we, as the church, often forget the important things, and how we exclude people, forget to be reverant toward God, and how our only purpose in life is to worship Him with our life (not just our singing, but with each action and posture of our day). He shared that last year while touring, many of the band members lost close friends/relatives and how hard it was to keep going, but because of their ministry and desire to further the Kingdom, they kept their schedule. Some people, trying to be sympathetic or encouraging, asked them how they could keep worshipping God with all of the bad things happening, and it struck a chord with them, that if we got what we deserved, we would all be in a huge world of hurt, but that because of God's grace, mercy, and love, we are sheltered and cared for, even in the midst of pain. They felt that as we are so pursued and loved by God, the only response we can offer IS worship, and if it takes heartache and pain to bring us to the point of glorifying Him, then "bring the rain".

As it has rained here all day (and on us as we briskly walked several blocks from our parking garage to the auditorium) I kind of began reflecting on the past few years of life, especially regarding this recent miscarriage. When we lost our baby in Feb of 2005, it was devastating, but we were carried amazingly and beyond our understanding by God's peace and comfort. I remember crying and thinking, what better could I want for my baby, than to be cradled in the arms of the Father, forever, surrounded by perfect Love? I know now, that even though that baby never warmed my arms, that God used her for His glory. This baby is different ... I am not devastated, I am at peace, if a little puzzled. We were not asking for a baby or planning for one so soon. I am not sure what the purpose is in this, but I know who does, and I am okay with that. However, as I sat through Bart's remarks tonight, and listened to the song, I did have tears, and rejoiced, that even though the rain has seemed to pour at times, that God offers His hand, and a rain coat (I think mine is bright yellow and comes with a hat and boots), and waits for us to realize that the rain is not washing us away, but washing us, turn our faces to Him to drink in His holiness, splash in the pools of His grace, and in the end, warm up in the dry safety of His love, showering Him with praise, adoration, reverence, and worship. This is not to say that life is cheerful like a rainy day in a yellow slicker, but we have the opportunity to respond to life in a way that reflects His light, even if we have to wade through the muck of "life", and praise Him all the more for bringing us through it. This is all just jumbling around in my head right now, but I wanted to share it, because it is fresh in my heart. Here's to yellow boots, mud pits, and the rain.