First Baptist Church of Herndon

After the Rain

Linda Soller | Jul 13, 2020

The evening summer storm had come and gone. A big deal to some, hardly noticed by others. But later while people slept, many of them unaware, the rain came. It was a prolonged drenching rain, a flooding rain, a deluge. Some continued to sleep, blissfully ignorant of the rain. Others heard it, felt it, and experienced the soaking. 

By the next morning, the rain had ceased to fall but the evidence of its power remained. As people emerged from their shelters, they could feel the heavy wet air all around them. The grass around the ditches lay flat. Debris unable to escape the flood was strewn about the edges, mouths, and exits of each ditch. The debris clogged the only way forward. It now stood as a barrier for progress in future storms, and most certainly there would be future storms. The rushing waters had claimed its victims. Plants which normally stood tall and limber in the breeze full of movement and hope lay beaten down. The beautiful full canopy of the trees, supposedly a buffer, had been unable to keep the rain from reaching the ground. Still their leaves dripped with excess moisture. There was no denying that those who had missed the impact of the storm, still had to live with the rain that followed. The rain, a surprise to some, had impacted the world.

Later in the day it would be different. The sun would come and dry the grasses, the leaves, the plants. Trees would cease to weep on those who passed through their shade. Some people would forget the storm, some would forget the rain, but those who saw the debris would always know something significant had taken place. Slowly but surely recovery would come. The rain would gradually make its way to the roots of all living things. Perhaps, just maybe, the world would be greener, stronger, a more beautiful place, after the rain.

In times of sorrow and pain, God is our hope! :o) Linda