What Is

Waking up to dark skies, thunderstorms and heavy rain was a welcome relief.

We've been needing rain for weeks now. The grass is brown and crunchy, thirsty.

The flowers have been wilting, begging for water. The sprinklers haven’t been sufficiently hydrating them.

We've needed a good soaker!

Casual conversations with strangers in the checkout lane or the teller at the bank, just two days ago, sounded similar to this:

“It’s so hot. Isn’t it? It’s been sweltering for so many days. Frankly, I’m tired of it. My grass looks awful. We need rain.”

Today, we have the rain we’ve been begging for... which is an answer to prayer.

The caveat is, the rain is supposed to last for several days.

We will soon be weary of storm clouds and drizzle.

The casual, everyday passing conversation will change its tune and instead of balking over the need for rain, chit chat will sound more like:

“Aren’t you tired of the rain? Can you believe how much we’ve had? We needed it, but come on, it’s lasted for way too long. My yard is now one big mudslide and is washing away. I miss the sun and the blue skies.”

Fair enough.

Boredom sets in, depression, aggravation over relentless storms, grey skies and nary a break from the dark clouds overhead.

The tables turn, the storm clouds roll away and the sun begins to show its face again.

Excitement returns... finally, the rain is gone! Grateful for the return of sunshine, we bask in it and smile.

However, the temps tick up and up and up.

We get overheated, unmotivated and just plain hot. Sweltering heat, high humidity and shade does little to protect us from the blaze of the sun.

The pattern repeats and we wish for what we had last week.

This type of grumbling, dissatisfaction reminded me of the Israelites when they traveled in the wildness with Moses.

Granted, they wandered the desert for 400 years, but, even in the midst of provision, they were never content for long...too much food, too little water, too little food, too much water and on...

Finding contentment has always been a great challenge for human beings.

When are we satisfied?

At what point do we have enough of what we want and more than what we need?

Reaching for and practicing gratitude for the gifts in the now helps shift perspective...

It’s rarely easy to be thankful in every circumstance, but it helps.

Glass half full?

Glass half empty?

When enough of what we want is never enough, and more of what we need becomes too much,

it’s time to let go of the heavy load of what isn’t

and embrace the beauty and fulfillment of what is