It's a rainy Sunday afternoon here on Still Waters Pond:
I know, that looks like a moose is walking on the water and a dove in the sky and a fish jumping in the pond, and an angel blowing her trumpet and a bird singing...Yes, it's amazing the things you can see here on Still Waters Pond, if you just use your imagination a little bit...
I even imagined that I saw this Mockingbird taking a shower in the rain on the top of our Holly tree...oh wait! That's a REAL Mockingbird, and he really is taking a shower in the rain...
And he seemed to be enjoying every minute of it. How do I know?
Because all the time he was spreading out his wings and feathers to let them get thoroughly cleansed by this free shower, he was singing...
It didn't bother him one bit that it was raining "cats and dogs" on top of his head...he was singing at the top of his lungs while he enjoyed the cool waters cascading down through his feathers, washing away the bugs and mites and dust that accumulates when you don't get to bathe very often.
The Mockingbird wasn't the only bird enjoying God's free shower...can you see that Cardinal in the middle of the red holly berries? He was also taking advantage of this lovely rainy afternoon to get all nice and fresh and clean.
One song came to mind, "Singing in the Rain" by Gene Kelly,
"I'm singing in the rain
Just singing in the rain
What a glorious feelin'
I'm happy again
I'm laughing at clouds
So dark up above
The sun's in my heart
And I'm ready for love
Let the stormy clouds chase
Everyone from the place
Come on with the rain
I've a smile on my face
I walk down the lane
With a happy refrain
Just singin',
Singin' in the rain"
I can imagine the birds felt this "glorious feelin'" and they were "laughing at clouds so dark up above..."
Oh to be so free and happy like the birds, without a care in the world...dancing and singing in the rain with a smile on our face...just laughing at the clouds...yes, "What a glorious feelin" to be so happy again.
It seems like the past six or seven months have kind of knocked the smile off of a lot our faces...and since we have to keep our faces covered with a mask...we can't even see each other smile anymore. It's been a bit discouraging to say the least. And now to have our President and First Lady and so many others fighting this illness, we are even more perplexed about the future and what we should do next.
But this morning in church our Praise Team sang another song that keeps reverberating in my mind ever since I came home:
"The God of the Mountain"
Life is easy, when you're up on the mountain
And you've got peace of mind, like you've never known
But things change, when you're down in the valley
Don't lose faith, for you're never alone
For the God on the mountain, is still God in the valley
When things go wrong, He'll make them right
And the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times
The God of the day is still God in the night
You talk of faith, when you're up on the mountain
But talk comes so easy, when life's at it's best
Now it's down in the valleys, of trials and temptations
That's where your faith, is really put to the test
For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley
When things go wrong, He'll make them right
And the God of the good times, is still God in the bad times
The God of the day, is still God in the night
The God of the day, is still God in the night
So, when we are faced with "rainy days" that seem to dampen our spirits, and difficult times that drag us down into the valley of despair, we need to remember that "The God of the Mountain is still God in the valley..." May we be like that Mockingbird sitting on top of that tree, singing in the pouring down rain and rejoicing in the opportunity to use that rain for a cleansing shower...washing away the dust and filth of the world, and restoring our faith, for we are never alone. "The God of the day is still God in the night."
What a great lesson from the Mockingbird today! I hope this brings a smile to your face so that you too can sing in the rain!!
By the way, you might want to listen to the sermon that follows the song above. It was a great message from I Peter 3:13-22. You may find it to be very encouraging as well.
15. "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts,
and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
16. having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers,
those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.
17. For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil."
I'll talk to you all later.
Be blessed, and try singing in the rain!
It may just bring a smile to your face again!
