The Majesty of Rain

I work in an office. In my office is a window. In this office, things can get hectic. When things get hectic, I look out my window. This is my window:

My window provides me with a lot of great abilities. When I gaze out this window I can:

• check the weather,
• make time stand still or, more often, 
• make time speed up,
• people watch (nothing is better on a college campus),
• transport myself somewhere else (mentally, of course),
• call Parking Services on illegally parked vehicles,
• watch Parking Services ticket illegally parked vehicles

More than anything though, my window provides me a moment. In the midst of busy schedules, lack of time, and a frenetic workplace I tend to forget to take moments. Moments just to gaze, to think, to relax, and to appreciate. It is strange how blessings tend to make me not notice...my blessings.

Today I took a moment.

Ever since getting back from Haiti, I have been in a funk. After talking with several people, I was assured that this was only natural and that so many people go through similar struggles. I went to a third world country, I saw poverty, I saw hunger, I saw illness... I saw need. Then I came back to America, and stared in disgust at our country's overuse of everything and our absolute propensity to waste practically everything we have been given on ourselves and our pleasure. More than anything, however, I felt useless- my favorite phrase lately has been "treading water", staying afloat but not going anywhere. It has been a long couple of weeks. Today was different though. Today I took a moment to appreciate where I live, what I'm doing, and where I'm going. 

As I walked to work this morning in the pouring rain, which I was completely unprepared for, I was frustrated at the weather and my weather app for not informing me of the impending deluge. Back in my office and a little more dry, however, I found myself staring out my window in absolute amazement at the rain. I am a history major through and through. I do not understand what causes rain beyond the simple words of evaporation and condensation. Maybe that tends to make me appreciate rain, simply because I can not even fathom the process that makes water fall from the sky. It was just a moment though. A time to appreciate something that I so often do not appreciate and most of the time actually loathe. It was also a reminder. It was a reminder that if my God is great enough to create and control the weather, he is great enough to live for in all contexts. So often, I feel that my only way to live out my faith is by going overseas, giving out food and playing with orphans. I, and we, have a purpose here too. Sometimes it is less noticeable and maybe less attractive, but it is a purpose all the same. 

I am so thankful for moments like these and for the countless blessings I forget about or miss on a daily basis. 

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

Revelation 4:11

All glory to God.