Looking out the window of the living room, the Gracious Parsonage Mistress sighed heavily and said, “When will this stinking rain stop?”
I chuckled to myself, very careful not to let it surface on my face to tell anyone in the room.
He turned around and said to me, “I’m about to end all this rain.”
With a fake grin on my face, I said, “I don’t know, but I’m done.”
I had to pull away at that point because I couldn’t control the laughter that rose to the level of my face.
When I got my emotions under control, I thought, this must be how Noah felt. Whenever it rains, as it has lately, I often think of Noah. Only this time he was thinking of Noah’s wife.
Listening to my wife talk about the rain, I couldn’t help but think that maybe that was exactly what Noah’s wife was telling her.
“Noah,” said his wife, “when will this stinking rain stop?” So I can imagine her saying, “I can handle a rainy day or maybe two, but this is getting ridiculous.”
After all, Noah’s wife was just like anyone else’s wife, especially the Gracious Lady of the Parsonage.
Knowing my wife like me, I know she likes to be in control. From the time she gets up in the morning until she goes to bed at night, she likes to be in control. When something happens that she can’t control, then we have a different situation.
Could that be said of Noah’s wife? This rain fell day after day after day for 40 days and 40 nights. Nothing like this had ever happened before. I think Noah’s wife was a little frustrated that she wasn’t in control of the rain.
My wife wakes up every morning with a huge list of things she wants to accomplish during the day. I need to be careful because sometimes she has one of her “Honey-Do-Lists” for you-know-who. She is very productive in her day and she hardly sits down to rest. She is proactive all day.
When she decides to do something, she does it no matter what.
Now, for the last few weeks it has been raining almost every day. He likes to work in the garden and even mow the lawn. Now, with the rain, he has interrupted his schedule.
The fact that she can’t control the rain brings a hidden giggle inside of me. She prides herself on planning her day and sticking to her plan to the letter. She is in control of everything.
Everything, that is, except the rain. I know the rain is playing with her.
Several times, especially this past week, the morning started out bright and sunny with barely a cloud in the air. When my wife saw that, she was very excited.
“Finally,” he said almost hysterically, “I get to mow the lawn.”
With that, she was laughing and very excited and ready to go out and mow the lawn.
I think there was a cloud hiding somewhere watching her because as soon as she got out and started the lawn mower it started to rain.
In a great hurry he put the mower away and went inside to dry himself.
As soon as he was inside and dry a bit, the rain stopped, the clouds vanished, and the sun was shining. She looked outside and with a big smile on her face she said, “Finally, this rain is over.”
He came out and got the mower out and got it ready to go and he was mowing for five minutes and as I watched I could see that smile on his face. He loves nothing more than riding that lawnmower and making the lawn look beautiful.
Suddenly, I heard thunder in the distance, and then the rain came.
As quickly as possible, she put the lawn mower away and ran inside the dripping rain. I did my best to stay out of her way because this was not one of her ‘happy moods’.
For the rest of the day she was working in her craft room and I heard her say in a low voice, “Rain, rain, go away and don’t come back another day.” I sympathize with her because the rain had prevented me from doing some things I wanted to do.
If the rain is the only thing my wife can’t control, she’s a very lucky person. I, for example, cannot control many things in my life. I would, but she’s just not in the cards for me.
I can’t imagine Noah sitting in that ark for over a year without being able to control anything. That is the essence of what faith is all about. If I can control a situation, why do I need God?
I need to trade my pride for faith in God. It reminds me of one of my favorite Bible verses. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
The best things in my life are those that are beyond my control where I can begin to see God working in that situation.