It's coming to the end of summer. End of August often will provide some beautiful rain storms, though brief and usually pass over quickly in Utah.
Big drops of rain, like in the South East of the US, really take your breath away. Mother Nature is extremely powerful and amazing. It can be scary, especially for younger kids that haven't had much experience with heavy rains.
After a rain storm passes over in the late afternoon maybe you'll catch Mother Nature saying, "it's okay - I got this".
Early this year was tough for me as my father passed away (more on him in another post). He was always very busy living and got busy dying (which I view as a great blessing). He was never one to want to wait. "Let's go", was one of his motto's later in life. He wanted to be up and at 'em.
As his condition drew worse, he would often say, "help me". Sometimes his pleadings for help became tiring and even kinda over bearing. Forgive me here for being honest and transparent - it wasn't easy at times.
"Help me", "Help me" over and over again. You'd do everything he wanted to help him, but he'd continue asking you to help him.
Once my mom was helping him and finally, after much stress said back to my dad, "I am helping you". She was so tired and exhausted. She immediately started to cry and pray. In her prayer she said out loud, "Please help me" - wait what did I just ask, she thought? She realized, God is helping. As she told me this experience I realized too that maybe I need to pay more attention to how God is helping and not be so tiring with my request to please help me.
We Are Children of God
One thing I feel strongly about is that we are all children of God (Acts 17:29). As a child of God, he will and does comfort us and provide us hope amidst the storms of life. Jesus Christ taught that God, our Father in Heaven, is aware each time a sparrow falls to the ground and that we are “of more value than many sparrows” to Him (Matthew 10:29–31). Through our difficulties, we are not alone. God is watching over us.
God, our Father, is always aware. As we struggle with doubts or feelings of disconnection, I believe we can better recognize His presence in our life by trying making a few changes. Maybe we could spend time thinking of Him without distractions (phone, tv, radio, etc...). Could we detox from distractions and think ways He is aware? We could pray more to feel God’s love. IF God is all powerful and wants us to know Him, then surely He wants to revel His way to us and is capable of doing so. What is in our way of feeling His love or recognizing it? Nothing is in His way of showing it. Many times when I visit with those who do not feel God's love in their life have set aside the scriptures and other messages about His love. Maybe if you are what you eat (physically), you are what you read/think/consume (spiritually). Read more and record how events in your life could be blessings from God and how He may be helping you.
One way that often helps me see and feel God's Eternal Hope and blessings is to talk with my people. My people are my trusted friends and family. Share with them how you feel and how you have seen God's hand in your life. Share with them your hopes and dreams. Ask them how they see God helping you in your life.
Be the Hand of God
Often times we may be doing all of the above and still cry out, "Help me". Maybe we are in the middle of the heavy rain storm and holding our breath. If this is the case, hold on. There are others that are in need around you. Stop, look around, think about your people. Who could benefit from your kindness, service or love? Serving others and becoming the hands of God to others is one of the best ways to see and feel God's love for His children. If he loves those you serve, He absolutely loves you too. He is no respecter or persons. He doesn't love one person above another. He is pure! He is true! He is real. Stop hanging on to the thought He is not there and grasp on to the thought that you are! You are here and you can help someone. As you get out and help, love and serve, look to thank God for the opportunity to lift, inspire and have the ability to help another in need.
Isn't this what Jesus did? Didn't he in his time of false arrest, heal the soldiers ear? Didn't he, while suffering on the cross, seek to comfort his grieving mother? Didn't he while hungry, feed others (thousands)? And didn't he, while dying on the cross, ask His Father to forgive those who beat him and tortured him? The character of Chris is worth emulating. It is worth following. It is our double rainbow of eternal hope during our storms!
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