In something like 36 hours, we got 4 inches of rain.
And it’s like I could almost hear my lawn giving a long, low groan of relief.
it had been so dry for the last few weeks that my lawn kind of “crackled” as I walked over it. In bare patches, I could see little cracks forming. Dry. Parched. Dusty. And my grass would grow long in just little patches, sporadically throughout the lawn.
When the rain fell, it just felt good. Imagine a long, slow drink of water on a hot day.
There are days that the rest of my life feels like this too. There are days when things feel dry…overheated…parched. There are times when relief feels far, far away.
But then comes the grace of God.
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9
Whenever I hear these words: “My grace is sufficient for you…” I actually get just a bit emotional. My instinct is to want to try and do it myself. I want to work harder at accomplishing…completing…satisfying…pleasing. I think I am not alone in this. I think many of us fall into this trap. But the thing is, we can never accomplish enough…never complete enough…never satisfy enough…never please enough. We wish we could, we try, but we cannot.
And God knows. God knows where we fall short. God looks at my life and says “clearly he shouldn’t make the cut. But I’ll take him anyway. Because I love him.”
And so God’s grace comes, bringing peace and wholeness even when I don’t deserve it. And it feels like rain hitting dry ground. And these moments when I experience and feel this grace, it’s like my spirit gives a long, slow cry of relief. When I hear the Word; when I receive the sacraments; when I give; when I receive; when I experience community and friendship; when I pray. It’s like cold water when I’m most thirsty.
My hope is that you too experience this sense of grace. That you sense God’s presence and God’s love. And that when you need it most, when you feel the most parched, Jesus’ love comes to you like rain.
Peace,
Pastor Todd
Test Driving Theology 