When the Clouds Roll Away

As I drove to Starbucks this morning for my coffee date with the Lord, it was raining. It got me thinking about how much I love the rain. That week we had last month was wonderful. It rained all week long. Sometimes pretty hard rain- especially for Bakersfield. It wasn't so fun to drive in at night and it got in the way of a lot of people's plans for themselves. But once the rain stopped and the clouds rolled away, you could see the mountains with picture perfect clarity. It was the clearest and most beautiful sky I've seen in a very long time. I could see the mountains in all their glory with those beautiful white snowpeaks. What a glorious display of God's creation! I couldn't wait for the next heavy rain if it meant I'd get to see those mountains again!

Then I thought about how the rain is a lot like the hard times in my life. They make getting around a little more frustrating; sometimes dangerous. They get in the way of the plans I made for myself. But when the clouds of those trials roll away, I see God more clearly. I see how He used that trial, that rain, to wash away the impurities in me and mold me more into his image. Rather than marvel at His creation, I get to marvel at my Creator. Though I probably don't look forward to the next trial as much as I look forward to the next rain, I do know that on the other side of it will be a display of God's great glory. And like those mountains, He's been there the whole time.