Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? Matthew 5:44-46 (NKJV)
I confess, there have been times in my life when I wished for a hurricane.  Just to shake things up a bit.  In the middle of a long hot summer, I reasoned that it would be nice to have a break from the heat and sun.  Just a few overcast days with some wind and preferably time off work.   Enough to alleviate boredom, but not cause much damage.  That was before the hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005 when Florida was in the center of the bullseye and my naivety burst during the evacuations and onslaught of Charlie, Wilma, Francis, Ivan, Dennis and Katrina.    Now, I cannot wish a hurricane on anyone.  Hurricanes are nothing to mess around with much less hope for.  Today, our community is feeling the long reaching effects of Hurricane Patricia.  She hit Mexico’s Pacific Coast with Category 5 force winds, travelled across that country’s mountains and into Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.  Several days after its initial impact, and hundreds of miles away, our skies are overcast and full of rain.   It feels like hurricane weather, if only a light touch.  The weather made me think about the phrase “Into Every Life a Little Rain Must Fall,” and when I looked for its origins, I was surprised not only to find it came from a Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem, but that it had been used in songs by Ella Fitzgerald and Queen!  Ella proclaimed, “Into each life some rain must fall. But too much is falling in mine. Into each heart some tears must fall. But some day the sun will shine,” while Queen encouraged, “I can see it in your stars. Life is so exciting. Acting so bizarre. Your world is so inviting. Playing really cool. And looking so mysterious – honey. Your every day is full of sunshine. But into every life a little rain must fall. No problem. Uh, be cool now.”  What a contrast those artists make and yet, each felt the effects of trouble in their own lives.  As Henry Wadsworth Longfellow noted, “Some days must be dark and dreary,” but, “Behind the clouds is the sun still shining.”   Understanding the sun is still shining even though I cannot see it has always been an encouragement for me, and it is even more of a comfort now that I am in the middle of my own health storm.  But, I think Jesus calls us to be more than survivors of the storm.  We are directed to encourage others, even our enemies, and share kindness in the darkest times.  As Christians, we are challenged to “be love” as well as “be light.”  We see people rise to the occasion and offer hope and kindness in the midst of hurricanes.  Why not even more in the other storms of life?  Stormy weather calls for more than perseverance.     We should not have an “every man for himself” attitude, but “man the lifeboats”, despite and perhaps even because of, what life has thrown at us.