A farmer stands alone on his field of sprouting corn baking in the hot sun hoping and praying for rain. Another man surveys the field of his football stadium hoping and praying for dry weather for today’s game and the 70,000+ fans attending.
Who’s hopes should be granted and who’s prayers should be answered? Is one more deserving than the other? Who among us can see far enough down the road to claim the wisdom to know?
Yet, the sun will shine and the rain will fall as it will. We celebrate the one we hope for, and shake our fists at the one we shun. We hate the foul weather. We may even rail against it. In the end, we have to live with it. The weather cares not what we think it should do, what we want it to do, what we hope it will do.
Fair weather is what most would choose if given a choice, whether they deserve it or not, whether they need it or not. The truth – if all we had was fair weather we would all soon perish. Nature has provided us with an important lesson. Whether fair or whether foul, all weather is necessary.
Just as plants need sunshine for growth, they must also have water. They say the sun never shines while it is raining where storm clouds have gathered. Truth is, the sun is always shinning while it is raining, above the clouds.
When I examine my life, there were times when I desperately hoped and prayed for clam seas and clear skies when what I really needed was a great storm to set my ship aright. Most times it was exactly what I needed, exactly what I deserved and exactly what happened.
There were times when I hoped and prayed for dry days full of light and still airs when what I really needed was a drenching rain of reality. Most times I got a soaking because that is what I needed and it was precisely what I deserved.
Just as strong winds are needed to carry the seeds of new generations to distant lands, the harsh winds of change become necessary to push us out of our comfy pods and off in directions we would not choose for ourselves. Most times I was blown away by the stiff winds of change to places where I was allowed to thrive because it was absolutely what I needed and definitely what I deserved.
As an overgrown forest needs fire to clear the dead wood and underbrush to enrich the soil and make way for new growth so too must we experience the scorching heat of struggle, if we wish to progress. Struggle is the fire in which we transform.
The next time you see the storm clouds gather, the rains begin to fall and the wind begin to blow, be at peace.
Be thankful for what is. Be grateful for what is to come. Fair or foul, it is all necessary.
I have always loved to walk or run in the rain. I am most grateful I have come to know why.