A New Perspective on Rain
It was a hot, muggy evening in late May. SOS Summer Staff would be arriving in a couple of days, and my wife and I were enjoying one last normal night out before the madness of summer began. As we were driving to the restaurant it began to rain. It was one of those sudden downpours that makes a layer of steam and mist rise from the hot asphalt. I said to Kelsea, “I love the rain. Especially when you’re inside a car or a house and can just enjoy the sight and sound of it.” She agreed. Right about that time my phone rang. But because I was on a date, I let it ring. Whatever it was, it could wait. We enjoyed a nice meal together and then returned to our home where we relaxed. Although it was a stormy evening, it was so peaceful – like the calm before the big storm of summer camp at SOS.
The next day at work we were making last minute preparations for summer camp at SOS when my phone rang. I recognized the number as the same person who called me the night before during the downpour. I answered. It was Tina. Tina was one of our homeowners last summer. She is also my neighbor. She asked how I was doing and then went on to tell me that rain poured into her house the night before during the storm. Although she knew that the first group of SOS campers would be repairing her roof in a little over a week, she was worried that her house couldn’t take one more heavy rain like that. Unlike our evening, hers had been far from peaceful, far from calm.
Although it did not occur to me right away, I soon realized an interesting coincidence. At the same moment my wife and I were enjoying the rain without any worries, Tina was trying to call because she was so worried about all of the water coming through her ceiling. She didn’t know what else to do so she called me. She was running around her house with buckets and pans trying to catch the rain that was pouring in. She was worried that at any moment her entire ceiling might collapse.
I guess you have a different perspective on rain when your home is not secure. I know my perspective has changed. Now when it rains, instead of thinking how wonderful it is, I take time to pray for homeowners like Tina who might not have a sturdy roof overhead. I also take time to thank the Lord for all the houses that were once like Tina’s but are now warm, safe and dry because of the work He has done through SOS.
I like to think that now when it rains, Tina sits at home and smiles. She smiles because she is now free to enjoy the rain. And I know that underneath her smile is a happy heart that is thankful to God for her new roof.
