Hello Friend!
The other day an afternoon thunderstorm blew in, cracking and laughing over the autumn-colored hills. I watched the clouds gather and then release raindrops from the hands that spattered the sidewalk.
From a few houses down, two children emerged under an umbrella. They hurried along with smiles on their faces. Each one holding the handle in the middle of them. It wasn’t a storm to be avoided in their lives but an experience to be shared.
That’s how it’s supposed to be, I thought. None of use are meant to walk through the rain alone.
A gentle thunder send them scurrying inside a house but I lingered at the window and wondered…
Why is it so hard for us to go through life’s storms together?
It seems we either tend to carry the umbrella only for ourselves. We become scared or bitter and we’re afraid to let anyone close. It’s hard for us to give.
Or we are happy to offer our umbrella to others while we become soaked. We’re afraid that if we don’t sacrifice so much then we won’t be loved. It’s hard for us to receive.
But Jesus calls us to that middle place. He asks us to take hold of that handle. “Love one another,” he says. One another–that’s two people under the umbrella, giving and receiving.
Ah, yes.
My thoughts clear.
The sky does too.
The children reappear and jump in puddles. Shared joy after the rain too.
And I think I can just see a new bit of sunlight slipping unexpectedly into my day.
xoxo
p.s. Who shares the storms in your life? {Thanks for sharing mine–I’m so glad you’re here!}
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