The Blessing of Spring Rains

PLEASE PIN -How to find blessings in rain.

A Christian personal essay to encourage you today…

It’s an early April morning as I write this, with thunder rumbling and rain falling in steady sheets outside the window. The spring showers have arrived. As they do most years, they gift the newly sprouted greenery with the most precious of all resources, the one which all living things require for life: water.

As the time is barely dawn, the windows still reflect the light and objects inside our house, but I know that if I get up and peer outside, I will see the dim shadows of trees and the mountain across the road as the sun’s rays begin a slight lightening of the sky long before the orb itself is visible. The air outside is neither warm nor cold, but carries a humid coolness, the kind that threatens to seep through every pore of your skin and make you uncomfortable for the entire day, even once you are back inside, cocooned in warmth.

The rain relents, the lulling sound of drops pouring out of the sky quieting for a few minutes, the only sounds an occasional rumble of distant thunder and the chirping of a lone cricket having emerged from its hiding place. But the break does not last long; soon, the cricket grows quiet, the thunder grows louder, and the rain splatters against the ground harder than ever. It’s forecast to last not just for the rest of the day, but, including today, the next three days and nights.

It’s the kind of morning that makes most people want to snuggle into their pillow and sleep the day away. And many people the world over look out at this kind of weather, see this kind of forecast, and sing their own version of the ‘80s Eurythmics song, “Here Comes the Rain Again.”

If you’ve never heard it, it’s not an uplifting number.

Day after day without sun brings a risk of lowered serotonin and dopamine production in the brain, which can lead to anxiety and depression. And rain causes traffic snarls in big cities, discourages outdoor exercise, and destroys happily anticipated adventures of young children.

If a filmmaker wants to produce a despondent mood for a scene, they either create rain, or wait for a rainy day to shoot it. Add thunder and lightning, and the audience will know something either tragic or scary is about to happen.

Rain can be both a blessing and a curse for farmers. My mother, living almost 1,000 miles away in my state of birth, has some years informed me that the farmers around her are worrying about the drought. Other years, they are worrying about their corn and soy being drowned in the unending torrents.

I think, overall, rain has gotten a bad rap. We associate it with dreariness and sorrow. Those who have experienced flooding first hand associate it with destruction – sometimes, tragically, of the lives of loved ones.

And rain that continues for several successive days can feel similar to a physical infliction, bringing on a vague anxiety that it will never end.

But we both know that rain is essential. Without it, there would be no flowers. Without it, there would be no fruit trees.

Without it, all life on the planet would eventually be wiped out.

Finding the blessing of a chilly, rainy day.

Cold, rainy days are not my favorite. I don’t tolerate chilly humidity well, so on those days, I don’t go outside unless I have to.

I love being outside.

But I hate cold humidity more.

However, if we can somehow separate clouds and rain from temperature and destruction, we might begin to see the blessings, beyond primal need, that rainy days bring.

Rainy days are romantic.

They are perfect for curling up on the sofa with the love of your life. You can watch a movie and share laughter, groans, and sad sighs. Or play classical music while you quietly talk about your dreams, struggles, goals, and triumphs.

You can simply stare together into a fire while leaning into each other, a picture of the support and nurturing each brings to the relationship.

Rainy days help you to slow down.

I believe God sometimes sends rainy days to certain people at certain times to force them to relax.

A-hem, like me.

You are less likely to run errands, less likely to do outside work. If you have a job outside of your home, rain will generally nudge you back to that home after your shift rather than allow you to push yourself to get this, that, and the other done after hours.

Rain forces you to slow your speed on the highway, if you lean toward speed limit infractions.

The lack of sunshine also makes your brain more sluggish, so you’re more likely to engage in relaxing activities than to continue on the hamster wheel you’re used to running.

Rain is cleansing.

And not just physically. Sometimes, a string of cloudy days is just the thing to bring up emotions that you’ve been suppressing. People try all kinds of things to find release from negative emotions and bad memories, but there’s nothing like a slight deficiency in serotonin to help your mind bring up old hurts, anger, regrets and fear… and then incite a flow of tears as these unhealed parts of your life confront you.

I don’t have many bawling fits, but as I’m still learning to push away negative emotions and press into God, I do occasionally. And when my tears have all dried and I’m all out of sobs, I always feel a lot better.

I feel cleansed.

Rainy days help you catch up with sleep.

I might be wrong, but I don’t think getting sleepy on a rainy day is strictly a neurodivergent brain thing. And you might not get enough sleep.

So, if at all possible, give into the invisible weight of low atmospheric pressure and lie down and take a nap. You’ll be all the happier and healthier for it.

Sometimes, sunshine is overrated.

We all enjoy looking at pictures of people reclining on a sunny beach, or of dappled sunlight pooling on the ground around a tree. We like the feel of its warm rays on our backs on a cool autumn day, delight in a blue, cloudless sky, have memories of sunny days spent playing outside with friends.

But sunshine can be too bright. It can get uncomfortably hot. It can burn unprotected skin, and wither up plants that have gone far too long without a drink.

And did you know that too much serotonin can cause as much emotional challenge as too little?

Clouds and rain bring balance. They might be inconvenient, even a little depressing, at times, but they are a necessary part of the cycle of life. They make you more introspect, challenge you to be flexible with your plans, invite you to seek the good amidst the dreary and mundane.

Rain is a blessing from our Creator.

*****

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