Sunday morning brought with it a whole range of emotions. I think we were tried and tested, we stood strong and firm and the Devil went sulking back to his little dark corner feeling defeated.
We slept in Sunday. This never happens. Ever. I think we tried sleeping in a couple of times on our honeymoon almost six years ago, but we both are so used to being up bright and early that even then with no responsibilities pressing us it didn't work! But Sunday morning was cloudy, the temperature was "cuddle under a sheet" perfect, and with everyone's dark shades drawn, it was just about the best sleeping-in conditions one could ask for. The kids slept late. And Josh and I just layed in bed and dozed in and out until late. (And by "sleeping in" and "late", I'm talking 7:30.)
And then we heard the first rumble of thunder.
Not unusual for this year. We have been bombarded with more thunderstorms, wind and rain than really is necessary in our minds, but we can't change the weather. Our side yard terrace has overflowed several times, the ditches are full of standing water and my once beautiful garden is now rutted with gullies from run off from up the hill that the ground just can't soak up anymore. The driveways have significant washes in them that have to be avoided by vehicles. And this is not to mention the state of the fields - they are a muddy mess, also rutted with gullies. But praise God, the corn, hay and oats still look good from the reports I get from Josh. This was before Sunday came.
With the first rumble of thunder, we checked radar. Radar and the weather forecast, in this house, is our best friend. I can't tell you how many times we're looking at it a day. We have access to radar on the regular news, the all day local weather "-2" stations, more than one regularly visited websites, Josh knows to the minute the times the weather comes on the radio station and we have a weather radio with 24/7 weather news on it. We even have an old fashioned barometer that shows the change in air pressure indicating storms. If I get a call from Josh in the middle of the day, more times than not its to check radar so he can plan the rest of his day. Yes, we know our weather and Radar is our friend. So, we shuffled ourselves out of bed to check radar only to see a narrow red cell heading our way. It looks like its fast moving and its not wide so we know it won't last long.
And it hits. First, it gets really dark. Nighttime, turn-the-lights-on-in-the-house-dark. Then the gusts start. Shortly after, the rain begins. First, softly like it always does. But within a minute, it begins pelting down. Between the rain and the awful wind, we knew we were in for a doozy of a storm.
But then we hear the dreaded sound: hail.
I can't explain the sickening dread that forms in the pit of a farmer's stomach with the very first "plink" of the sound of hail hitting. Hail could easy mean the ruin of a crop. Josh and I stood at the window, watching the millions of tiny (quarter size or so) hailstones bouncing off the ground. Its not the largest hail I've ever seen, but it was definitely the longest I'd ever seen it hail. It lasted a good five minutes. And with each hailstone, each minute that went by, we wondered if we were going to have corn standing at the end of it all.
The hail ended and the wind and the rain died down enough for Josh and I to step outside to check the damage. I turned the TV on, sat the kids in front of whatever PBS was playing at the time and told them to sit there and not move. (This is a great skill that my kids have learned, allowing me the five minutes it takes to hang out the laundry.) With a feeling of dread and a sick feeling in our stomach, we stepped out to the edge of the yard to take a look at the condition of the corn. Immediately upon stepping out of our back door, we saw the whole backyard flooded. There was ankle deep water standing everywhere. It was a shock. Keep in mind, we don't live by any water...this was all rain! The whole backyard was flooded with rainwater.
We made our way out to the edge of the yard where the garden comes first and then field is neighboring to that. There was a stream flowing through my garden. Literally. There is water standing in the corn field, almost as high or higher than the corn in places. The terrace is overflowing again, making not only the back yard flooded but the side yard as well. A check on the basement showed water pouring in, it looked like a water fall. We were surrounded: around us, under us and above us since it was still raining. The last thing any of us wanted on that Sunday morning was more rain. And at that moment, the Devil almost had us.
As has become our spring/summer tradition, we had planned a picnic lunch for after church followed by some family time plans. But with the storm and the sickening feeling it left behind, and the fact that we were running late not only by sleeping in but because the storm delayed choring, Josh and I both just assumed, without speaking to one another about it, that we were going to stay home. I headed back inside to finish my hair (which was only half done because I stopped when the storm hit; one half was nice and smooth and the other half was wild woman...but I digress...). And a thought hit me. More like a question. Perfectly clear. And not from me.
"Are you a sunshine Christian?"
Am I a sunshine Christian? Some people laugh off the fact that they won't commit to church during the summer "I'm not a summer Christian", they say. Or baseball season. Or football season. Or planting season. Or harvest season. Or for whatever season. So, will Josh and I only commit to church during the sunshine? I believe with every fiber of my being that if our Saviour loves us every minute of every day, we can be in church every Sunday morning. We strive to have our family seated in a church every Sunday morning.
Ashamedly, I didn't listen to the question the first time it was asked. It was already decided, we were staying home. But like a good Father does when His child doesn't listen the first time, He asked me again. "Are you a sunshine Christian?"
With a stark realization, it dawned on me that we were indeed planning on being a sunshine Christian. We don't go to church to worship a God who makes the sun shine and the rain clouds go away. We go to church to worship a God WHO IS GOD. And God is God regardless of whether the sun is shining or its raining. God is God regardless if our corn is sitting under water or its breaking growth records. God is God all the time. And MY God is a God who calls for praise and worship.
At this realization, I went looking out every window for Josh to tell him were going to church. We had ten minutes before we had to be in the car and on the road, and in those ten minutes I had to get Josh in the house, he had to get all washed up, I had to get all four of us dressed, combed and shooed out the door, the kids carried to the car through the water and buckled up before we started on our way. And guess what?! We might not have been the most perfectly groomed family sitting in the seats of that church on Sunday morning and yes, we were a few minutes late, but we were there! As we pulled out of the driveway, we gave one last look at the disaster of a yard and field and put it all into the hands of the Lord.
The first song that we sang Sunday morning was one that was unfamiliar to me. I don't know the lyrics word for word, but we sang that "this is the day the Lord has made" and even though we have trials and anxieties, even though we think this is just about the worst day we could have... its STILL the day the Lord has made. And as His children, we are called to rejoice and be glad in it! We were incredibly blessed Sunday morning through the songs and message that we heard. Everything from the songs to the sermon seemed to be directed right as us, from the happenings of the morning to issues we are dealing with as a family at this time.
I have confirmed in my heart that I will not be a sunshine Christian. As the old children's church song goes "and if the devil doesn't like it, he can sit on a tack!" If there was any one thing that could have utterly defeated us that Sunday morning, it was exactly what happened. Its a scary feeling knowing you're being tried and tested. Its a powerful feeling knowing you have defeated the Devil.
We enjoyed a wonderful day together as a family Sunday afternoon. And today, as I write this, the yard, garden and field all look great. A little muddy from the inch and a quarter rain that fell in those ten minutes, but full of promise. And I am still in awe of hearing God's voice.
*****
On a side note, this is not a sermon or a lecture as to what I think you or your family should be doing. This is a praise to God, a testimony to who I will be for Him. If you choose to be challenged or not, take it up with Him ;-)
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