The Rainy Season

By Sarah Teichmann

The other day I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. I wanted to get some exercise, get out the house, and get some fresh air. Great! I put on my sunscreen, grabbed my sunglasses, and put on my walking shoes—I was ready to go. The one element that I did not think about was the weather. I grew up in New England and am still getting acquainted with Floridian weather patterns and the particular season known as “the rainy season.”

Well, there I was—walking around the neighborhood when a low rumble could be heard from the east. I looked up and to my chagrin I saw a wall of cumulonimbus clouds (e.g. the really scary, dark, ominous clouds) coming westward. My walking pace quickened as I hightailed back to my house and I barely got inside before the wall of rain came pouring down on me. Oh, the rainy season! I feel as though this title effectively labels climatic trends, behavioral moods, and the overall periods of life when you feel that you are being perpetually dumped on.

What do you do when the rainy season comes? Sometimes these rainy seasons seem so bad that we fear being flooded by disappointment or being swept away by chaos. It’s during these times that I think of a text from Mark 4:35-41. Jesus and his disciples are in a boat crossing a body of water when a furious squall comes up and pounds the small boat with waves. The boat is nearly swamped. The disciples rush to Jesus and in panicked voices, they ask, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” Perhaps you know how this story ends. Jesus calms the storm, the boat is not swamped, and the disciples stay afloat. The answer to the disciples’ question is this: Jesus cares.

Jesus cares for us. During our rainy seasons when we may feel as though we are going to drown or be swept away we may find assurance in God’s love. Jesus Christ is with you, and when all seems dire and lost, I pray that you may find God’s steadfast love keeping you afloat.