People tell me they love rainy days. They like to cozy up with a book by the fireplace, with a nice cup of coffee, a warm blanket, and just enjoy the peaceful sound of the rain falling. I agree, the rain can be quite mesmerizing and peaceful from the comfort of our homes with a nice solid roof over our heads. Rain, in itself is beautiful. It brings discomfort, but it also brings new life. I love seeing the grass turn a brighter shade of green, and perk up after a while of going with no rain. I love seeing more flowers bloom, and things just come to life after a spring rain.
But this October rain…
October rain is dreary and cold. It brings the temperature down a level, makes big mud puddles that my boots try and get stuck in, and makes a statement every time it hits. It’s bringing in the colder, gray season of fall transitioning into winter. The time, us horse people aren’t looking forward to as much. With each October rain, I don’t see new life springing up, but rather more fluff and thick hair coming in on my horses and ponies as they are preparing for the winter weather. October rain, chills me, and soaks through the sweatshirts, and causes wet squishy feet in my leaky boots. Where is the blessing in that?
Earlier this month, we went to the farm to get farm chores done in the late afternoon. We have morning routines that get done, and chores that get done later in the afternoon into early evening. Regardless of the weather there are certain things that have to be done, so you grit your teeth, put your layers on, and do it. The weather was crazy that day. To my right, the sky was blue with white clouds, to the left, the sky was ominous with flashes of lightning and booming thunder on and off. We were hurrying to get things finished, so we could hopefully beat the storm and get home to our own version of cozying up with a warm blanket and TV show. None of us particularly wanted to get stuck in the storm.
My own feelings and emotions were a bit of a whirlwind that day. Everyone has days that are ups and downs, no matter how “spiritual” they are, or what position they may hold. Being in ministry makes you no less human, and you are not above anyone else just because God wanted you to do a special task in His kingdom. That day was a downer day for me. I was going through our farm tasks watching the weather with dismay thinking of ALL the things I need to get done, and how I needed to get a move on it. I was grumbling about the weather, and thinking on all of my life’s care’s and current situations. There are some days as a woman, tears are just close to the surface of your eyes, waiting to be provoked. This was one of those days. Ladies, if it’s one of those days, let me tell you, I feel you! You’re not alone in that feeling of unbridled emotion. Some days, that’s just the way it is.
We had two thoroughbred rehabs we needed to bring inside. During the rainy days, they need the extra warmth, and one of them has very sensitive skin and is prone to rain rot. So during the pouring down rain, my daughter Destini and I were bringing those horses out of turnout and bringing them into shelter for the rainy days. I had forgotten to check the weather. That is a new skill I have acquired over the past year, and I’m still learning to always be prepared for the weather.
It poured buckets and buckets. We were wet from head to toe, and I was feeling pretty dark and grumbly, and we got the hay bags filled, filled their water, got everyone’s grain/beet pulp soaked, added in the right amounts of each of their supplements, and the kids helped pass out the feed dishes to each pen making sure each horse had their dinner, and we passed out hay to those who needed it. All in the pouring down rain. Then we got the two thoroughbreds toweled off and had been using the sweat scraper on them, warming them up, and got them settled in the barn. And wouldn’t you know it…..The storm began to clear.
You can imagine my relief that the storm was over, right? Only I was resentful. I had been doing ALL that work in the rain, when I could have waited an hour, and done it then and had squishy socks and wet alfalfa clinging to my clothes? God, what are you even doing? Don’t you know I’m already having a bad enough DAY? I was feeling pretty salty. BUT our chores were done, all except I felt like I needed to clean out my minis’ area. They have their own little area in our corn crib that I like to call Mini Prison. They are escape artists. So our corn crib, we revamped to have two open access stalls with rubber mats, and then a twelve foot turn off off of the stalls with very fine gravel as a dry lot. It’s perfect for those founder prone little escape artist devils. So, I have two mini horses in there and my mini donkey. They are at the very center of the bustling activity of the farm and get SO spoiled despite being little grumpy elves about being locked up.
The storm had calmed to my left, and the brightness of golden hour began to set in to my right. I got the wheelbarrow, and started to scoop out one of the stalls, and I looked to the sky, and see the most stunning rainbow set against the darkness. The storm had been raging, and the skies flashing with lightning, but now all that was left was the darkness on that side, and a beautiful bow in the sky, which would soon turn into that impressive double rainbow we so often look for when we get the chance to see a picture of God’s promise in real life. It shone so vibrantly. The colors were intense and seemed to be glowing, just popping out of the sky. It was declaring a bold statement. It refused to be ignored.
I stopped what I was doing, and walked out to some of my favorite horses, kicking myself for not having my camera, but still wanting to live in the moment, so I pulled out my phone and took a picture so I could cherish this moment later on. It was a beautiful sight to behold. My muddy horses with that gorgeous sky in the background. And then I went to another section where I could really see it well in the background and took a selfie. Seeing my tired, and discouraged eyes on my phone screen with this radiant rainbow in the background, I realized that I was ungrateful. I paused for a moment, and I said God I’m sorry that I have been ungrateful in certain aspects of my life. I feel overwhelmed, but I know that You are always with me. And I said, THANK YOU, God, for the rain because without it, we wouldn’t have seen this beautiful rainbow.
The moment I realized I was thankful for the rain, God spoke to me. It wasn’t an audible voice, or crashing Lightning. But that still, small whisper. Look to the right,. That’s what you long for. The beautiful sunny skies, and the feeling that everything is going as it should. You can see clearly everything that is happening in the sunny times. It feels good, and happy and easy. Look to your left…In the distance where I could see the dark stormy skies and still see flashes of lightning . That’s where you feel like you ARE. You feel you’re in the middle of the storm. All you can see is wind, and rain, and you feel beaten down. Lighting crashing and Thunder booming. But look there. To the rainbow, which was oddly near the middle between the two worlds that looked so starkly different from one another. That’s where I SEE you. You may not see it yet, but without the stormy times, the rainbow would never appear. You are becoming the beautiful creation of the rainbow, and when I look down on you, that is what I see. You are fearfully, and wonderfully made.
I may have cried a little, surrounded by my muddy fur ball horses, sitting in my rain drenched clothes, but I clung tight to the promise. When you are in your darkest hour, God is doing a work in your life. We don’t see the big picture, but only small glimpses of it, so how could we possibly understand? We are human, and we doubt. We tend to rely on ourselves, instead of trusting in God to work the process.
I’ve learned to embrace the rain. We have a choice, during our rainy season…We can go about our lives begrudgingly, and spitefully doing what needs done, despite the uncomfortableness of dealing with the cold, wet and hardly enjoyable circumstances. OR, we can take delight in knowing that throughout the rain, God is still working in our lives, molding us and making us into the beautiful work of art He wants us to be. We can laugh, and play in the puddles, or we can grumble in dismay.
There’s no greater delight to be seen than a child allowed to play in the rain. It is like it is the most wonderful treat that could be offered to them! They splash in the puddles, and dance in the raindrops. Their hair gets soaked and their shoes filled with water but they don’t care! They live in the moment, and are in awe at God’s creation. It brings them great joy. We would do well, to have the mentality of a child about our rainy days.
After the chores were done, and my short bit of tears were dried, I went and played in the puddles with my kids. They had seized the opportunity to have a boat making competition. They each found pop bottles, and hay bale twine, and some wooden pieces, and little bits of random things, and made their own boats and were having a contest to see whose could float the longest. They were amazing! Hezekiah’s was the biggest, and skillfully crafted together in a very floatable fashion. Isaac had a pretty good design, and there were a few others. They were all sloshing through the puddles adding on little rocks to add weight and see whose boats would last the longest.
Their smiles were beautiful, and the laughter was healing. The fun was great to be had, and the rest of the world stood still. A moment frozen in time.
Maybe you are in a rainy, stormy season. All across the world, people are struggling with feelings of being alone, and overwhelming sadness. I don’t have all the answers for you, but I can tell you rejoice in the rain. Know that God has a plan and a purpose for you, and he will never leave you, or forsake you. God sees your pain, and sees your circumstance, but more importantly, God see’s the rainbow that will come about after the process.
I was reading a scripture last night, in Psalm 33:9. It says, “For He spake, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.” What has He spoken in your life? What has He commanded? If He spoke it, it is done, and if He commands, it will stand fast. His word never fails. Another verse I have been reflecting on this week is found in Isaiah 41:10. “Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”
If you are struggling, try turning this verse into a prayer. God help me to fear not, because you are with me. I will not be dismayed because You are my God. Strengthen me, and help me like you said. you would, and uphold me in your hand. You cannot go wrong by leaning into the Word. All it took was a rainy day and a rainbow to instill in my soul some amazing life lessons. I am thankful for the rainy days, and I am thankful for God’s Promises. It’s amazing the work that God continues to do, and all the things that were blessed on the day that we did chores in the rain.
Thank you for following along with our family adventures. If you have stumbled across this blog, please feel free to check out our page on Facebook at Aldrich Equine Adventures. Where you will see frequent updates on rescue horses, and rehabs, and kill pen saves, and projects and transformations and little bits and pieces of how God is blessing us along the process.
This brought tears to MY eyes! Blessings.
<3 Thank you!
Thank you for sharing this 💕🙏