Thursday 7 August 2008

I CAN stand the rain

I don’t get it!!! I make an appointment with God – similar time every morning (a wee bit later when I’m on holiday), and sometimes he doesn’t show up.

Take this morning for instance. I was there raring to go – nothing. Then the rain started to fall, heavy rain, very heavy rain. After a while I realised that God had stood me up, so I went for a shower and breakfast. I was listening to the news as I munched on my muesli and the travel report came on. Not good! Not good at all! Major roads closed because of flooding.

This was really inconvenient. The Restless family had planned to go out for the day. Dolly D was getting up early to make sure that she was ready on time. But with roads closed and major traffic delays we had to abort the mission.

So instead we went about various tasks and activities around the house. I was doing a bit of organising in the study and I picked up a book (as you do). I flicked it open randomly at this page:

My real dwelling
Has no pillars
And no roof either
So rain cannot soak it
And wind cannot blow it down!


It’s by a Japanese poet called Ikkyu (in an anthology called Soul Food). Somehow it seemed to be appropriate for the day.

Later in the day I was dealing with e-mail, when the monthly newsletter arrived from Tearfund. The first story was headlined “Pray for rain”… it kind of stopped me in my tracks. It was about the drought being experienced in East Africa (you can read about it here).

Maybe, I’d made a mistake about the time of my appointment with God.

I think I learned a valuable lesson or two today. And it gives me an excuse to include (again) to Ann Peebles' wonderful version of “I Can’t Stand the Rain”.


3 comments:

nonprofitprophet said...

God is funny like that. Dry sense of humor... oh wait, not dry, wet... oh whatever.... :) ~npp

Kayce aka lucy said...

the first thought that flashed through my mind was "God is the rain!" i know i get so set in what i think things (God for instance) should look like that i fail to see what is right in front of my face (or dripping on my head) :-)

His Girl Friday said...

Hasn't it been said, something like, God works while we're busy making other plans?

Something similiar happened to me the other day...I've learned not to become frustrated (touch wood) when these detours occur...and learn to try to see God in them. As in, what is He trying to teach me, show me, have me do (for others).

..dry sense of humor...dripping on my head... hahaha! :)