Today is another cloudy, gray day in Lebanon, Tennessee.  The grass is as green as Ireland now due to the downpours in the last few days.  But before the rains came, the garden was brittle and brown; inch-wide cracks opened in the yard.  We watched every black cloud with anticipation, but no abundance was falling at this address.

Texas was drenched in wetness, and we were being teased with showers.  Why doesn’t it rain here, I questioned. I breathed a smile and thanked God for every sparse drop.

Until today . . .

We have had enough rain.

How dare I say ‘stop’?

What do we do with excesses when we  first consider them as blessings?  I was rejoicing for the showers when they came, even though my heart hurt for those in Texas for being deluged.  When is rain a blessing, and when does it cease to be a “good thing”?  I would never pretend to know that answer.

When it began to rain, Tom had a brilliant idea (he thought :-)) of saving on the water bill due to May’s  barren days.  So Saturday we pulled a 100 gallon tub (a flea market find) under a gutter to catch the precious liquid.  The idea was that I would water newly transplanted trees, bushes and flowers with that–use the water quickly (the ground is unusually parched, right?)  and then it would fill again with the next small shower.

Imagine my surprise when I went out early Monday morning; it was still drizzling, and my new watering can was running over. The dry ground is saturated–it doesn’t need any help from me.  Now what do I do with this much blessing?

I stood there watching the rainwater overflow the sides,  and didn’t know whether to count this as a blessing or a curse.  A few days before I had cried as I heard of the sweet young prom queen who had drowned when her car was caught in flooding water near San Antonio, Texas, only a few miles from her home.  Several others have lost lives in that flooded state.

How can beautiful rain cause such disaster?

Rather than being a cause to question excessive rain,  maybe this mammoth watering trough can be a symbol of hope- in the floods, in the hurricanes, in all of life’s  enormous catastrophes.  When questions don’t have answers.

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15: 13

filled with joy and peace . . .