I love the rain.
There are a few reasons why: the sense that everything is ‘closer’, the fact that the land is getting refreshed, the drop in temperature (I don’t do well in summer), but the main one is that there is a perceived limitation concerning going outside. This limitation firstly means you have less obligation to leave the place you are in, as well as more freedom to defy this new ‘boundary’ and be different.
As a creative person, however, I don’t do well when it comes to being ‘boxed in’. Someone saying music is ‘my thing’ irritates me to no end. Creativity works within many limits and borders, but when you base your identity on ability, you are immediately limiting yourself as well. So why would I – a guy who hates being limited – love the limitation brought about by precipitation?
Because rain limits the external possibilities, which emphasizes the internal possibilities. There are two ways to live – from the outside in, or from the inside out. If I live life affected by the weather, I would be sad when it rains. I would hate getting wet and what it does to my level of comfort, which would in turn ruin the way I feel about myself and allow that to dictate how I interact with others that day.
We cannot control the external forces of our lives. Trying to do so only results in frustration that affects your soul. You can shout at thunder all you want, but it’s not going to change the fact that there is a storm going on. But when the weather isn’t going your way, there is a greater choice you can make – a choice to define what your day will be like. It’s a choice to decide what emotions are going to affect you. This way of living is one that expresses you from the inside out.
It is easier said than done. I have had some absolutely atrocious days. But there was a day I remember things changed for me. It was a Sunday morning – I had been volunteering full-time for over a year at my local church and had NO money. As in – the bank almost closed my account because there wasn’t enough to keep it open. That morning I walked outside to find my car window completely smashed to pieces – all my workout gear in the boot had been taken as well.
I drove into church evidently frustrated. But there was a moment of clarity where I realized it was just a piece of glass. Was I going to allow my whole day be determined by a piece of broken glass? It was broken already. There was no way I could reverse what had happened. So I began to laugh.
That was honestly one of the most fun days I have had to date. There was a huge sense of freedom that although there were external repercussions, it did not need to affect my soul. I could draw on something from within to support my soul in that moment – something way more radical, something way more effective: my spirit.
In the Bible, we are told that our spirit is the part of our existence that is eternal. It identifies with God and when our bodies die, our spirit will live on – in new bodies. Sound a little sci-fi? I could understand if you said ‘yes’. But truly, your spirit is the core of who you are. It is the part of your being that has the ability to dictate every decision you make in life – and led by a God whose Spirit can work within you, it results in a deeper level of inside-out living.
If you are finding yourself tossed and unraveled by the storms of your life – can I encourage you to look for a different way to live? Storms suck and there are things that can completely shake you. But there is an anchor for your soul – something that can hold you steady no matter what is happening around you. It is the love of God, which permeates the deep recesses of your soul and spirit. If you want to find a way to ‘laugh at the storm’. If you want to know this love, click on the link below.