The Healing Power of Rain

I fought the lawn and the lawn won.

This is a popular refrain of mine each Summer as I engage in my annually recurring epic battle of man versus blade in my yard.

If you really want to see my beloved wife do a full eye roll, you merely need to ask her about my lawn.

“Oh dear, don’t get me started,” you might hear her say.

The challenge is that our lawn and sprinkler system was never installed properly. There are bumps and uneven spots in the ground which means some areas get more water than others. On top of this, despite every effort known to mankind, the sprinklers never fully blanket the entire yard. You make an adjustment and it solves one brown spot while creating another.

The only true fix would be to completely tear up the yard and start over again, something which is really not an option for us.

Because of this I spend many of my spare moments in the backyard with the garden hose in my hand trying to chase away the brown spots and patches that are so prevalent during our high desert summers which commonly range in the 90′s and 100′s.

I admit I am passionate…perhaps even compulsive…about the “greening” of life, the vibrant expression of happiness expressed by a well coiffured and verdant lawn. For me, there is great joy in sitting on my back porch and enjoying the “green frosting” of a healthy yard.

But it’s an incredible drain of time, energy and emotion. And there are ALWAYS brown spots.

Which is all background for sharing with you God’s sweet, precious lesson awaiting me this morning. Yesterday we had a most uncommon Summer day for our region, a full, steady flow of rain. Even this morning it was misty and moist in the air.

As I sat in the backyard, reveling in the musty smells of the recent rainfall, I noticed a glorious site–a perfectly green and healthy lawn.

It was an instant reminder of  how greater God’s ways are than my own.

A year ago, I spent so many days laboring to patch the brown spots of my own life, the garden hose in one hand, a look of fear and frustration expressed in my forehead.

This year, God has me in such a precious time of being in His Word, re-centering my life around His plans for me and my family.

I’ve been renewed by the healing power of His rain in every aspect of my day. And it has me thirsting for more, the living waters of His presence.

Are you feeling dry? Wishing for more in your life?

Perhaps all that is needed is a little rain.

Looking for more from Michael K Reynolds? You might also enjoy A Difficult Bend in the Road.

Michael K. Reynolds is a writer with more than two decades of experience in crafting fiction, non-fiction, journalism, copywriting and documentary production. He is represented by Janet Kobobel Grant of Books & Such Literary Agency. He is the author of a series of Irish historical novels published by B&H Publishing Group. These highly acclaimed books are available in bookstores and libraries across the nation and beyond.