Rainy Days

Have you ever seen so much rain?  I mean, really!  I feel like we are in Seattle instead of Atlanta.  I have a number of friends who struggle emotionally when it rains.  Rainy and cold make it worse.   Isn’t it interesting that weather can affect our moods so much?   Remember the old, old song that said “Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down”?  That is real.  I know for me a little sunshine can make a big difference in how I approach my day.

I guess it is those “Rainy days and Mondays” that challenge us to remember where our hope lies.   I have found that in the rainy seasons of my life that it gets hard to remember just how good life is and how good God is.  I can throw a pretty good pity party.  I usually throw one until God, or one of His agents, (people, writings, songs, etc.) intervenes and reminds me of how much I am loved and how much He is with me.  My favorite thing to do on a rainy day would be to curl up and snuggle my family and watch a movie.

There is something comforting about being together.  Now that is rarely reality, so I have to remember during those days when work and school have to go on, that God is truly present at all times.  When we focus on Him intentionally, He becomes almost tangible.  I encourage you to give Him a try next time you are having a rainy day kind of moment.

Death:

Death is a hard subject on many levels.  It is particularly hard to try and talk about because not everyone agrees on death issues.  Where do we go after we die, how do we grieve, and what do we say to someone who has lost a loved one?  Christians are notoriously bad at this. We like to think we know all that there is and that our pet answers should just be accepted.

I’ve got news:  It doesn’t work that way.  In the past several weeks I have known of several people who have died, (a couple of them by suicide) and I know of one who is about to die.  How do we talk about that?  While as Christians we may be sure of an afterlife, what in the world to we say to those still in this world?

I think we need to work on this.  We need to develop a stronger sense of sensitivity to those who are lost in the throes of losing someone.  I know this is a need in my life.  I hear you saying “but you are a pastor, how could you not be sensitive?”  It is not a matter of being sensitive; it is a matter of having a full conversation.

For me the reality of Heaven takes over a lot of my grief, but for others that is not so easy.  I am just saying that we need each other and we need all of the emotions, sentiments, and feelings to be in play.  There is no lack of faith when we are overwhelmingly distraught at the loss of someone we love.  So for all you who are Christians, save the platitudes and clichés and just love and be with those, who are hurting. There will be a time in the process to talk about the reality of Heaven and how that helps.  Just make sure that you act like Jesus and stay in the process long after the funeral.