The Promise of a Lifetime

As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease.

Genesis 8:22



As I begin to blog this morning in Afghanistan, the rain is pounding down hard. I don't recall a time while here that the rain poured so heavily.

I can remember as a child, I loved playing in the rain (stomping in the puddles) and hated the after effects of the rain. It was the worms that would surface and I was terrified. I remember telling my mother, "I'm afraid of the snakes." And like most mothers in their calm, steady voice would say, "Melissa, those are not snakes. They are worms." That really didn't do anything for me; however, she obviously knew more about it than I did. What was it about? I would I have to find out later in Sunday school.

It was the story about Noah and the ark. As I child, I focused on the animals and his family. Then as I grew, I focused on the people who were stubborn and foolish. Until one day, I got it. It was about a promise. Not just any promise, it was God's promise. And that caught my attention.

The promise God made with Noah. And to my knowledge has never been broken. Of course not, we're talking about God here and not man. What a blessing!

So even now that I'm 40 years old, I like singing, dancing and stomping in the rain. And I still chuckle when I think about my childhood of the rainy days. Don't get me wrong, I see the little worms wiggle about and I have to look up so as not to see them when I walk along my way ... squish ... makes me cringe. I think they are disgusting, yet they have a purpose and were made by God. I digress, it's the part after the rain I love the best. Do you know what I'm talking about? Let me tell you. I look forward to seeing the promise ... the rainbow. It symbolizes so many things to many people, and yet it is the symbol for one true thing. A promise of life.

There is another rainbow I look forward to seeing too. Jesus. He's the ultimate promise of a lifetime that will never cease.

So the next time you are out in the rain, rejoice and stand/dance/sing/shout on the promises of God.