Women’s Devotion: Dancing in the Rain

Dancing in the Rain

The Lord answered Job out of the storm.
Job 38:1

Our family has gone through difficult times recently. Not to say that our storms were anything like Job’s, but still difficult for us. In the past two years, I have lost two younger brothers. It has been hard for my sister and me to move past this.

A few weeks ago, I was in a gift shop in Colorado. I saw a wall hanging that spoke to me. “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it is about learning to dance in the rain.” (Vivian Greene)

That was a “God wink ” moment for me. At my brother, Ken’s, Celebration of Life in England, we met his neighbors, friends and colleagues and learned so much we didn’t know about our brother. And we enjoyed walks through beautiful parks.

Then my brother, Terry, was ill a short time. We had opportunities to visit with him, reminisce and spend quality time. Two weeks before he died, we took a car ride through SE Nebraska. We shared stories along the scenic three-hour drive, laughing so I hard I could barely drive. I will treasure that “dance” forever.

At both “celebrations” we were able to visit with family and friends from far and wide at our childhood farm. The families of my siblings had not gathered for five years. These two deaths showed us we need to look for the “silver lining” on our cloudy days. My son came from Oregon, rented a Mustang convertible, and gave Ken’s sons from California and Canada a ride through the Nebraska countryside – a dance in the rain for them.

Job certainly knew God’s presence, and he was going through so much more – he lost everything! As the song goes, “some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.” God knows what is best for us. God is always with us to lead and care for us, always ready to hear our prayers and concerns.

I found this song by Jeff and Shari Easter: “Learning to Dance in the Rain.” It is so applicable to our earthly journey.

To the saint and the sinner
The losers and winners
Sometimes the rain’s gonna fall
All the bad and the good
The misunderstood
Storms will come to us all
Well I found the answer
From heartache to cancer
I thank him in spite of the pain
Cause when I start praising
Things begin changing
By learning to dance in the rain

Heavenly Father, help us to cherish those closest to us and make the most of the opportunities You give us to spend time with family and friends and learn to dance in the rain. Amen

This month’s devotion was written by Donna Schwartz, a member of the Women’s Ministry team. She has been a member of Sheridan since 1974 and attended prior to that with her uncle and aunt while she was in nurses training. Donna is a retired RN but continues to use her nursing skills as a volunteer at Clinic with a Heart. She also loves to volunteer as a Babies in Christ mentor, serves on the Hospital Visitation Team and uses her gift of hospitality in a variety of ways. She is always proud to say she is a member of Sheridan. She is the mother of Tara and TJ, and grandmother to Jaiden and Blake.