Umbrellas down

Dancing in the rain

Traditionally, as a fully fledged Englishman, my natural reaction is to loath the rain. It is world renowned that England is by far the wettest country, (bar Scotland), and that we, as true patriots to our nation, constantly complain about how unfair it is that we have to suffer the constant pitter-patter heard against the window for large portions of the year.

It’s not that we have a problem with the wet stuff, after all it is just water, but the fact that everything tends to get wet, no matter how hard we try to use umbrellas and other implements, seems to dampen (excuse the unintentional pun) our spirits some what.

However, today was a new revelation for me. I found myself questioning my own Englishness; as for one of the few times in my life I walked in the rain; and what’s more I loved every minute of it. Yes I got drenched to the skin, and was close to getting hypothermia, but I suddenly realised that it was actually quite refreshing, and contrary to my previous delusion, the air is actually fresher when it rains. It’s like everything has been washed away, ready for a new beginning. All the grime of the streets washed away into the gutters, never to be seen again. Even the harsh bite of the rain against my face didn’t put me off, as I was fascinated by how quickly small streams turned into great and mighty rivers, crashing against the sides of the alleyway.

By this point you’re probably think that I’m going a bit senile, perhaps even more than normal, but remember that rain is another one of God’s creations. Whilst rain may be considered a nuisance, it reminded me in some strange way of Jesus’ love for us. The fact that all the dirt and filth was washed away, and the path was left gleaming reminded me of how Jesus has washed away our sins, leaving us pure in God’s sight. It just astonishes me how something so potential annoying can remind me of how much Jesus loves us.

Daniel