Rain

I walked carefully along the muddy trail. It had been raining recently and the ground showed evidence of that. But the sun was shining now. As I walked I listened to the birds chirping and the wind rustling the trees.

Alone with God in nature. That's when He often speaks to me. This time was no different.

As I looked carefully for where my next step would land, God began to speak.

The rain renews all that I have created. The trees and grass and flowers all need moisture to grow. But, the rain can leave a mess sometimes. It takes time for the ground to soak up all the rain.

Your heart is like that too. It needs my rain to come and make things grow. To come and make things beautiful. But when my rain comes to your heart, sometimes it makes a mess before you soak it all up.

I wasn't quite sure where this all was going at that moment. I kept thinking about it as I walked on.

The further I walked the less muddy the path was. Eventually it become quite hard and dry. God spoke again.

When the ground is hard and dry, things can't grow. The rain comes and softens the ground so that things have room to grow.

Your heart is like that too. Over time it can become hard and dry. Then nothing grows. When I send my rain, it softens your heart so I can make things grow. The rain might leave a mess for a time when it comes, but it is what allows Me to work in your life.

Long after I finished my walk, I was still thinking about what God had said to me.

You see, I'm someone who usually tries to avoid anything in my life that could be seen as rain on my heart. It doesn't often seem to be pleasant. It's often hard.

But, those are times when God works. Those are times when God brings healing . . . grace and mercy. We need the rain. Even if it leaves a mess for a time. Without it, our hearts become dry and hard and nothing grows.