Showers of Stress

“Meanwhile, friends, wait patiently for the Master's Arrival. You see farmers do this all the time, waiting for their valuable crops to mature, patiently letting the rain do its slow but sure work. Be patient like that. Stay steady and strong. The Master could arrive at any time.”
James 5:7-8

I was blessed recently as I read the book of James. James 5:7-8 seemed to wash over my heart as I reflected on it and on the life God has entrusted to me. The phrase "patiently letting the rain do its work" seemed to jump out at me. Often times we can see the storms in life as things that God uses to push us to His loving arms (if we "patiently let them"), and certainly they do, however, the word used here in this verse is "rain". I thought of the song by Mercy Me, Jesus Bring the Rain, and began to contemplate the term rain. Rain comes with storms, for sure, however, it also comes with simple showers. Showers can be aggravating (especially if you are parked outside and have to go somewhere with a decent hairdo ~ha!) or they can be refreshing on a hot summer day. I thought of the song, Showers of Blessings, and how blessed I truly am. I have received showers of blessings, but I have also experienced in recent days the showers of "rain". Oh, not "storms", like most of us would think of. I haven't lost a child, gone through a divorce, or hit a financial crisis. I have, however, felt the "showers" that come from people hurting you or taking advantage of you, unexpected hurdles that cost time and money, parenting challenges, and life decisions that just weigh heavy on your heart and mind. These are what I call "showers of stress", if you will. None of these things are "storms" or even "big problems" in the big picture of life, but they are often times annoying and energy zapping things that Satan can use to suck the life out of us.
These verses reminded me that God desires to use even these "smaller showers" in our lives to remind us of just how dependant we are on Him.

We truly need Him for everything! We cannot let the showers "soak" us and weigh us down. We have to "patiently let the rain (whether a storm or a shower) do its slow and SURE work", by staying covered in the Word each day. I want to allow even the "showers of stress" that sometimes fall around us (OK, they daily fall most of the time), I want them to do their work in my heart and life. I want to become more and more like Jesus!

Just like the earlier verse in James 1:21, which reads, "In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life." I am far more blessed than I deserve and I deeply desire for God to cultivate a garden in my life that will bring glory to Him and enrich the lives of others, as well!


Lord, thank you for being our Gardener and for tending to every detail of our lives in order to make us a beautiful display of your Glory. Enable me to see the showers of stress as reminders of how completely dependant I am on You! Enable me to be patient and to allow them to do the work you desire them to do in my life. Speak to me as I am in Your Word each day and enable me to remain steady and faithful to you. Thank you for the showers of blessings that you always intermingle with the stress to remind me of your sweet presence! You are so good, all the time!



You can read more from Tammy at Steps In Our Journey