Monday, March 18, 2013

Rain

While New Zealand usually has a lot of rain and unpredictable weather, this summer has been an absolutely amazing summer at the beach on the north island. No need to look at the forecast before leaving the house----it's just beautiful sunshine!

New Zealand relies heavily on dairy farming, however, and the last few weeks have been really hard on them.  The soil on the farms is dry and cracked and they're running out of food and water for their herds.  Since a lot of the country relies on rainwater tanks for their household supply, it's been affecting the human population as well.  

But this weekend it began to rain.  A lovely, long soak of a rain.  Not a huge storm with buckets of water that would result in flash flooding on the hard earth.

The ground has a ways to go before it's lush again, but this morning the air is fresher and the birds are singing like they haven't for weeks now.  An infusion of life to the land.


Sometimes our hearts feel like this.  Dry, cracked, desperate for the 'water' of His touch. 

It's at times like this that we long for Him "like a dry and parched land where there is no water." (Ps. 63:1) We want to be watered right then and there.  Fully drenched.  Restored.

But just like the land our hearts take time.  Too much at once will just run off and be wasted.  What we really need is the gentle soaking rain of His Presence that will prepare our 'soil' for more.  An infusion of life to our hearts.......

Update:  Steve has been back at FS working for seven weeks now.  Things are going really well. We're missing him heaps in NZ but only three more weeks until we see him!  Both girls are back in Uni and I'm homeschooling the boys.