The sun hides as soft rain streams from the clouds. A child wearing a yellow raincoat with yellow boots to match prances down a sidewalk. She spots a huge puddle, so she happily tip-toes through, trying to dodge a major splash. Then she gazes toward the sky and spots
a rainbow…
Do you like the rain? I’ve seen people with different views of the rain, but they typically fall into one of two categories: rain enthusiasts and rain-away advocates. The rain enthusiasts love the rain and always focus on its benefits. The rain-away advocates dread the rain every time it comes, deeming it as dreary or challenging to work with. Whether you fit either of these descriptions or a bit of both, I want to share why rain is not only essential—it’s the best.
Spring is a popular season. For those of us who live somewhere with four seasons, we are usually ready for Frosty to melt by the time spring emerges! We don’t want snow or cold anymore. As winter draws to a close, spring opens its arms with colorful floral sleeves. We witness the trees turning green and the flowers blossoming. What is necessary, however, for all of this to happen is rain. As we know, rain is essential for growth. Green Country (our local nickname for Tulsa) would not be Green Country without the rain…
Like trees and flowers, we too need rain showers to grow.
Sometimes going through a rain storm produces character. I’ll never forget when I did landscaping with my dad one summer. Being out in the hot sun and mowing is work; perfecting flowerbeds is work; but the true test came when I was mowing a lawn and the showers began to storm down upon us. I was almost finished mowing that lawn, but finishing would now be much harder.
“Daddy, the rain is coming down a lot!” I said. “I don’t know if I can finish.”
My dad looked at me, a weed eater in his hand. “Ginger, you need to finish what you started.”
Being rained on while working was tough, but I did finish. I never forgot that day because that, ladies and gentlemen, was a character-building day. Today, I always do my best to finish what I start. That lesson has helped me finish two books, build a fitness business, and even give birth to my son. Rain helps us to grow, often in more ways than we know. Showers will test you—embrace the test. Emerge at your best.
Rain enthusiasts love the rain. I have a friend who loves the rain, and she always tells me how refreshing the rain is. She loves listening to classical music as the rain pit-pats against her living room window. Because many people complain about the rain, I felt refreshed simply hearing her viewpoint! And it makes sense; there is a reason why many sound machines and digital clocks have feature the sound of rain. These showers have a calming effect that makes it easier to think, to focus, and even to sleep.
Rain is also cleansing. Mother nature’s cleaning service starts in the clouds. She sends rain down from approximately 2,500 feet, and it washes the earth. I think about the sidewalks and how they appear cleaner after the rain. Sidewalk chalk washes away, and words begin to fade. This spring, I challenge you to let any negative words spoken to or against you wash away like sidewalk chalk. Let the cleansing rains of positivity wash over you as you replace any negative words with uplifting ones.
Sometimes I am tempted to sing the classic nursery rhyme: “Rain, rain, go away / Come again some other day / Jericho and Ginger want to play / Rain, rain go away.” Reader, I’m sure you can relate. But you know what? A better song is out there—the song in your heart that chooses joy over sorrow. So the next time it rains, challenge yourself embrace the rain…
Because a rainbow is emerging upon your life’s horizon.