Drought or Flood

The rain was such a welcome sight, it had been dry for so long. We all feared the crops would be a total loss if we didn't get a break soon. When the clouds rolled in and that first clap of thunder, it was like THANK YOU GOD you didn't forget us. It was such a nice steady rain, you know the one's that even have the scent of freshness too it. Even though it was my imagination, I felt as though I could see the plants and flowers begin to come to life and have their seasonal colors restored. Oh man, what a blessing it was to have some rain to settle the dust, calm the nerves, and bring back hope.

Trust me I know the drought you have been in. Looking back those years flew by didn't they? It's easy now to see how much dust, debris, and weeds took over your life. At first the occasional shower kept the flowers blooming, the yard green, and our mood inspired. Before long you took for granted that those showers were not a guarantee didn't you? The rain stopped, the ground dried up, the flowers wilted, the grass turned brown, the bugs come to life, the weeds grew taller, and before you knew it, hope had faded away. Your life was in a drought.

I'll never forget the forecast, it called for sustain heavy rains. Sure, we knew the possibility existed for flooding, but we were in the midst of a 9 year dry spell so we welcomed it regardless of the potential danger. When the rain started you could almost feel the excitement in the hearts of everyone in the community. Finally we get relief. This should provide at least some hope for the crops that were fighting to push their roots deep enough for any semblance of moisture. It rained steady for hours, oh what a beautiful sight it was.

The rain continued overnight and into the day, no question about it, water was standing and the possibility of flood conditions were increasing by the minute. Never the less, we needed it, so we were happy with what we got. The rain begin to ease, the clouds parted, and a hint of sunshine teased us in the distance. If there ever was a calm before the storm that was it. The winds picked up, the black clouds rolled in, and the gates of hell unleashed a torrent of monsoon like conditions that took us all by surprise. Over the next two days, houses were destroyed, crops washed away, pets were lost, and hope was shattered. What was thought to be blessing from God turned out to be the worst curse ever imagined.

Isn't it ironic that the same life giving water we have to have to live also has the power to destroy. Consider for a minute all the things in life that bring you pleasure. In small doses it is breath of fresh air, however when it becomes abusive and addictive the very things that gave you hope also has the strength to steal it from you. Life is about awareness, preparation, planning, as well as living on the edge and enjoying the rush of spontaneity. When we face the droughts in life, we pray for rain. When we have too much rain, we pray for sunshine. Our expectation of God is to do what we need when we need it, right.

Let's put this into life application now. They were in love, or so she thought. After the broken relationships she had endured, this one just felt right, or at least better. There was no question in her mind that she didn't deserve Prince Charming, which was fine, but this man seemed nice enough. They dated for a few months, married, and before you know it the drought ensued. The flames were reduced to embers and before she could put some fire back into their lives the abuse started. I realized, she told me, that I wasn't the perfect wife, so maybe I got what I deserved. I'm sure he didn't mean it anyway. I'll work harder to make our home happy and that should put him in a better mood.

Needless to say the fires of passion did not come back but the demands for pleasure increased. She was in an emotional drought that felt as if she had entered the gates of Hell. She prayed for relief each and every day, but nothing ever happened. Her heart was parched, her body failing, and her dreams erased. Then it happened. She met someone that seemed to truly care about her well being. He listened, he made her smile, he slowly begin to restore her hope in humanity. The waves of emotions cascaded throughout her body like a tsunami. Even though they had never, up to that point, taken the relationship any further than conversation, she still felt like a teenager approaching her first date. The element of danger even added some additional flavor.

The news came hard and fast, the flood of thoughts washed her away. Her life was destroyed, all hope was lost and nothing was left now except to wait out the final days of this miserable existence we call living. Her amazing awesome wonderful friend took a job and moved out of state. His WIFE was expecting their first child and he realized in order for him to make his family great he had to work hard at being a more responsible man. The anger was undeniable, she was devastated, mad, hurt, and a few other adjectives we can't even list. About that time the door opened and her drunk husband was in no mood for her attitude. She made some snide remark to which he hit her twice in the face knocking her too the ground. The floods of life had just about drowned her. She was up to her neck and it seemed there was no fight left in her when she blacked out

This lady did in fact survive the droughts and floods of life. She is restoring her dreams as I write this. The clouds have parted, sun is peeking through, and a glimmer of hope is welling up in her heart. How about you, the droughts and floods may not be as dramatic as the one above, yet you do in fact face them don't you. It could be a myriad of things we take for granted that slowly push into the dry dusty conditions of life. Conversely it is the loss of hopes and dreams that bring about the emotional floods that wash us away. Regardless what you are facing please know that there are always better days. Your past is never a mistake if you learned from it. We are all products of our past but we do not have to be prisoners to it. We all have those thoughts that take us on the journey to never never land, so don't try to diminish the creativity of your imagination, I urge you to find ways to enhance it. God placed in you the ability to be resilient. Remember you have survived 100% of your worst days so far. No matter how bad the drought or how much damage the flood has done your life still hasn't reached the fullness of your potential. God didn't bring you this far just to leave you. Your best days are waiting for you to claim them, BELIEVE THAT.

God bless
Dale