The Rainy Season

"Then I will send rain on your land in it's season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil." Deuteronomy 11:14, NIV

I love fall. By far, my favorite season. I love the change it brings. The coolness, the colors, the smells. I always have had a special place in my heart for this time of year. I remember being little and looking at changing leaves and colorful sunsets and feeling calm and peaceful.

I love nature. Bees, flowers, trees. Looking at them gives me an appreciation for God's creation. The variety. The complexity. The purposefulness wrapped up in beauty. I can see God's love for us so clearly when I look at His creation, how special He made it just for us.

I love special relationships. Words of wisdom and advice from my Mom. Silly stories and jokes from my Dad. Watching my brothers grow into men, developing their character. Sisters, whom I share secrets, laughs and love; listening more and "advising" less. Hubby and his unconditional love, squabbling and realizations, grace, frustration and acceptance. Children and their transparent hearts, seeing both the love and sin all in one adorably loving package.

I have been feeling lately that all of these things which I hold so dear and treasure are also bringing to life another realization. How all of these things allow me an opportunity to love and worship my Creator. Appreciating my favorite season and all that it brings honors how God restores our weary souls and gives us sinners the ability to change, renew and revive. Gazing at His beautiful world and marveling at how He's made it is an act of worship, acknowledging and marveling at it's unimaginable vastness and intricacy. Appreciating the special relationships that God has blessed me with, honoring how God's grace is everywhere and He lavishes it upon us in so many unexpected places in different and unique ways.

God brings us restoration in all forms. In relationships, in prayer, in His creation, in quiet, in situations. He gives us all of the wine, grain and oil that we'll need for this life and more in accessible and inventive ways. We don't "earn" this restoration, He freely gives it to us when we're parched; just as He sends the rains when the earth is in need of water for growth and rejuvenation. God delights in using the everyday to give us what we need to grow, survive and thrive in this place, in this life. We don't have to go out looking for it, God will send it to us in His way in His time.

We don't have to get to a certain place or point in order to earn it. We don't need to keep the house more organized, the food on the table healthier, the car we drive fancier, the kids we raise more obedient, the spouse we love more "loveable", the clothes on our backs trendier, the bible study we participate in more holier, muck our thought life to make it cleaner, even to forgive ourselves for all the ways we fall so terribly short.

We just have to trust in Him and wait for the rain. The sprinkles, downpours and sometimes even hail will come. Just as there are different types or rain, He'll send it to us in different ways to replenish and restore us. We just need to soak it in when it's the rainy season.