Rainy days

Seattle: We are now in our 26th straight day of rain. A record? No, apparently in 1953 the Seattle area had 33 straight days of rain. But the forecast looks like we are on track to break the record. You'll be happy to know that I am high and dry and in an area with no mud slides or floods. I learned my lesson well 10 years back when I lost my trailor home to a monsoon season here! After that experience my first criteria for a place to live was high ground, solid foundation and good drainage!

I was thinking how that relates to life. We all experience storms: health - finances - relationships - spiritual crises. How can we look for high ground? For me high ground is looking up to Jesus. The Psalmist says, "raise your eyes to the hills, it's the source of your strength." Looking up gives life perspective much the same way as going to the shore and looking at the ocean gives perspective. You are standing next to something so powerful, so much greater than yourself. You are no longer the center of everything. You can hold an object so close to your eyes that it becomes blurred or even looks doubled. That's what happens the longer and closer that we stare at our storm. Lift up your eyes, seek HIgh Ground!

A solid foundation means going back to basics. There are so many philosophies out there. Try this or try that, and each one may have one grain of truth mixed in with truck load of emptiness. These new age philosophies are also known as "the mystery of the vacuum" because in the end they leave your life with "nothing" for the storms. When I was studying in University I read a quote once that gave a great definition of the term "philosopher". "When you are walking through the dark forest of life with only a candle to guide your way, a philosopher is a person who comes up and blows it out." So what are the basics to go back to? The book "Purpose Driven Life" is a good resource to answer this. I was created for a purpose, God has a plan for my life, my only true joy will come on the journey of daily seeking that plan and it's fullfillment as I make God's will a priority over my self centered desires.

You were waiting for this one: Good Drainage! What do I mean by needing good drainage in my life. Storms come, rain falls. The Bible says rain falls on the just and the unjust. Becoming a Christian doesn't stop the storms but if we have a good drainage system we can stand through the onslaught and not be swept away. Laughter is a big part. "A merry heart is as great for you as medicine," the Word of God says. A day without laughter is a day wasted. It cleans out the pipes, the down-in-the-dumps go. Like sunrays bursting a rainbow through the clouds, it reminds us of God's promises by clearing our minds. The relationships God has placed in our lives are another great drainage source. I'm not talking about relationships that genetics or circumstance have given us. I'm talking about relationships God has provided that are positive, encouraging, and uplifting. Not pity party, gossip groupys whose ears are tickled by disaster. We all know people who derive their energy from the negative, wallowing in worry and justifying joylessness as proof of a caring spirit. They carry the weight of the world and share that load with all around them.

Mother Theresa once said, "Keep the joy of loving God in your heart and share this joy with all you meet especially your family. Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love. I am not sure exactly what heaven will be like, but I don't know that when we die and it comes time for God to judge us, he will NOT ask, How many good things have you done in your life?, rather he will ask, How much LOVE did you put into what you did." Again the Psalmist says "The joy of the Lord is our strength." A woman on the news today was standing knee high in water, her lawn had become a lake and now the ground floor of her home was flooding. She said "If only someone could pull the plug, we would be saved." God's joy is your drain plug for life's floods. Keep the pipeline clear with your daily communication with Him - in prayer and music. Clear the leaves of lethargy from your gutters. Be vigilant and the rain won't devour your dreams.