Thankful Thursday - Dancing in the rain

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain.”  

I’m not sure who wrote that quote but they are right.  Life isn’t about waiting until the storm is over so we can resume our lives and pick up where we left off when it was rudely interrupted us by its down pour.  It’s not about focusing on the storm; it’s about embracing the storm.  It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.

James 1:2 “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.”

So why would he say consider it pure joy?  Trials are not joyful!!  They are hard and sometimes painful and I’m sure none of us look forward to them!!  Why would we want to consider the storms in our lives pure joy?  I think he says this because he understands the purpose of trials and what they bring.  After the storm clears and the darkness turns into light you are left with an experience that will help you grow!  Growing is a good thing and that’s what James learned about the storms of life.  He learned that we should consider it pure joy during those times because good things are going to come out of it!

No pain…No gain

If you were to go to the gym and lift weights and work out for hours each day overtime you will begin to see the results of your hard work.  It’s not fun to work out and most of us dread it, but the results are well worth the hard work it takes!  You know the saying…NO PAIN NO GAIN!!  Very true!  If you don’t put the effort into working hard then you can’t enjoy the wonderful results.  We have to endure these storms so we can mature and develop spiritually or we will stay where we are and never grow.  Like growing pains we experience as we begin to grow from a child to an adult.  If we didn’t have growing pains that would indicate that we are not growing.

You never know who is watching you

Laurie from Women Taking A Stand taught a Sunday school class last week on how people are watching our actions and listening to our words; judging us by what we prove to them.  She had a very good point when she explained it’s a lot like if we were on trial.  The judge and jury will judge you on the evidence alone!  It won’t make any difference what you say, everything is judged on evidence…proof!

What evidence are you giving to prove that you are a Christian?  Are you proving that you are a Christian by the way you act and what you say each and everyday?  You never know who is watching you to see how you react to the rain fall of grief and heartache.  What if God divinely appointed them there to witness your faith?  Are you proving your faith during the rainfall? 

“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein

Each difficulty is a learning opportunity, a chance to prove what kind of faith you have in God!  A chance to witness!  The dark is always before the morning.  When the morning finally arrives it will be more than you could have imagined.  

Philippians 4:13 (NLT) “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

On this Thankful Thursday I am thankful for the strength that God supplies to endure the storms of life.  May we never forget we don’t have to do it alone, but with the strength He supplies we can endure anything that comes our way! 

Today, I am linking up over at Thankful Thursday.  IRIS is our host this week, visit Grace Alone for more Thankful Thursday posts.