We have all been a little blue sometime in our lives,
especially on rainy days- metaphorically and literally.
On one rainy day in particular I saw my husband looking
through our window. “I like watching the rain through a window inside,” he
said. I smiled, of course he does, who really enjoys being rained on?
However, when my husband said this, other memories came to
mind. You see- I live in Portland, Oregon, where it rains more than 130 days of
the year. Growing up here I learned to only straighten or curl my hair with low
expectations of it actually staying nice. This is because when it rained, if
anything I only had a hoody to cover me. I have always considered rain to be
Oregon’s sun.
One memory in particular came to mind. It was pouring
outside, very different from the constant drizzle that Portland is known
for. My mom was excited and said we
should go run out in the rain. I remember we were apprehensive about the idea
of getting wet, especially thinking about having to come back in, possibly take
a shower and get a change of clothes. In that moment there were a lot of, “I’ll
do it if you do it,” until two of my other siblings and I were running toward
the street that had turned into a stream, and what felt like a turbo sprinkling
system falling from the sky. These are the feelings I remember about running or
if you will, dancing in the rain.
“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s
learning to dance in the rain.” I don’t know who said it first, but if the
storm is our trials, then I know well what it’s like to feel like the storm
will never pass. My first boyfriend
cheated on me, my best friend died from an unidentified cancer and my dog died
shortly after; this all happened within a three-year period. At age 21 I chose to go on a mission, where I
felt like I’d learned to dance in the rain until I came home and fell into a depression.
Two things have occurred to me recently. One, I can’t ignore
the tender mercies of the Lord in my life today. I was married in the temple
four months ago; I am living 15 minutes away from my hometown, with a brand new
puppy. We have been told that “after much tribulation…. cometh the blessing.”
(D&C 103:12) and I’ve seen this in my life. There was something similar to
this that I learned on my mission in São Paulo, Brazil. When a day went bad, no
one would talk to us and everything canceled, there was one thing I could count
on, that I could smile and tell my companion, “there’s a miracle waiting for us
around the corner.” I knew the adversary would do all in his power to stop the
miracle, but with hope we have the power to be God’s hands here on earth.
The other thought I had reminded me of the words of my
husband looking out the window. “I like watching the rain through a window
inside.” Not only must we have the hope to wait through the rain, but also we
need to step inside and get another perspective of our lives. This means preparing
for the attacks on our lives and understanding why the rain falls like it does
and knowing where lightening will strike next. Bednar continues, “…in my
latest reading of the Book of Mormon I paid particular attention to the ways
the Nephites prepared for their battles against the Lamanites. I noted that the
people of Nephi “were aware of the intent of [their enemy], and therefore they
did prepare to meet them” (Alma 2:12; italics added). As I read and studied, I
learned that understanding the intent of an enemy is a key prerequisite to
effective preparation. We likewise should consider the intent of our enemy in
this latter-day war.”
