Singing in the Rain
Marsha Howard of Athens, TX, USA
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? -Matthew 6:26
Several years ago, I was diagnosed with osteoporosis. Medication and calcium were prescribed along with the suggestion that I begin walking two to four miles per day. Following orders, I began walking each day, rain or shine.
One morning, I just didn’t think I could put one foot in front of the other, but I grabbed my umbrella and headed out in the rain. I was deep in thought when I noticed birds singing. I had never noticed birds singing in the rain before. What could they possibly have to sing about on this dark, dreary morning? I knew I didn’t feel like singing.
Matthew 6:26 immediately came to mind. Jesus was teaching His disciples about anxiety. He knew that we have a tendency to worry about our lives, food, clothes, and any number of circumstances, so He instructed the disciples to notice the birds. He wanted them to take heed that birds neither sow nor reap, or store up for themselves, and yet their heavenly Father takes care of them.
“Could it be that they sing because they trust in their Father’s care?” I thought. We will all experience dark and dreary times in our lives, which could produce anxiety. Whatever the circumstance, Matthew 6 reminds us to consider the birds and God’s care for them. They are so confident of His care that they sing, even in the rain! Shouldn’t we do the same?
Are there things in your life about which you worry rather than turning over to God and resting in His care?
Prayer Phrase
“Over the years we melt into what we seek” (Joan Chittister, The Liturgical Year).
Spiritual Practice
We are in the threshold between seasons in the Christian calendar. You may have been noticing the physical transitions of the seasons wherever you live as some enter the depths of winter and others the warmth of summer. The seasons are a visible reminder that even among the most predictable rhythms and routines of our lives, change is always happening. The events of our moments, days, weeks, years form us and transform us over time. We enter each season different from when we arrived here last. This is the nature of this cyclical journey of faith. In these final days of the Christian calendar and the season of Ordinary time, there is opportunity to take a sacred pause, to notice how you arrive in this threshold. What have you been formed by this year? What has been deepening you as you’ve lived through another cycle of this life of faith?
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.
