The rain will bring no real relief from the heat we’ve been experiencing, but at least our deck plants and gardens will get a respite. We all need a respite. Sometimes, the news just seems constant – and overwhelming. We tell ourselves, we need a respite, more than the one we might get from a vacation.
Like the character Littlechap, we want to shout, “Stop the world! I want to get off.” But we know we cannot. What we can do is focus less on our own self-centeredness and consider how we can make our world a more habitable place to live. We may know that intellectually, but it’s all the little things we do that adds to our being overwhelmed.
It’s a rainy morning and although the rain won’t bring much cooling, it still has a sweet smell that can help bring us back to the center of our lives. Summer rain is like that, giving us a respite from how crammed we make our lives.
Prayer for the Day
Holy Creator, whose Spirit stirred over the waters of chaos bringing forth light,
Calm the turbulent waters of our souls, opening us to the light of your love;
Bathe us with your Spirit, releasing us from our preoccupations
Bringing us to that place where we are can find respite and relief.
Reveal to us through summer rain the power of simple things
And the power of love and care above all
In the name of the One who reveals that power,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
I am sure it is a great mistake to know enough to go in when it rains. One may keep snug and dry by such knowledge, but one misses a world of loveliness.
- Adeline Knapp, American journalist, environmentalist (1860-1909)
That is the way a summer rain can take hold in you- like a new heart, beating in time with another's.
- Muriel Barbery, from The Elegance of the Hedgehog
Sow righteousness for ourselves, reap steadfast love;
Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the alord,
That you may have righteousness rained upon you.
Hosea 10: 12