Facets of Faith

How I Sing in April’s Rain

04.30.2019 by Anna Hummer //

Welcome to Facets of Faith, space where three friends share their thoughts and experiences on life, friendship, and faith. We also introduce you to other friends who share their perspectives. Today, I (Kim) am excited to introduce you to Anna. Anna and I met about eighteen months ago when I interviewed for a job in Massachusetts. If you were able to sit with her over a cup of coffee, you would be encouraged, challenged, and prayed over with a faith that moves mountains.

Being a pastor’s wife and mom to four adorable kids, Anna has learned how to sing in every season. So grab that cup of coffee, settle in, and be ready to be encouraged as she shares what helps her sing in April’s showers.

The Hospital

I think it’s unlikely to be appendicitis.

I chocked back a sob. The young doctor was uncomfortable and shrugged off the yellow protection robe.

She is really in pain, I said pushing back the hair on my three-year-olds forehead. Right around the belly button.

This wasn’t our first rodeo. Samantha has Cystic Fibrosis, a chronic disease that affects the lungs and other organs, clogging them with sticky mucus. This trip to the ER, however, was accompanied by my 18-month-old son and, without daddy to help, I was in a glass case of emotion. I tried to keep them occupied with Paw Patrol episodes on the iPad.

Samantha started freaking out about the IV. I knelt by her bed and positioned her face to look me in the eyes. I calmed her. Look at me, it’s okay. I love you. I know it hurts and I’m right here.

I turned to the doctor. I just think I need to talk to someone from her clinic?

He tapped the clipboard and went to find another doctor. My phone vibrated with a text from my friend.

I’m praying its not appendicitis.

I’m actually kind of hoping it is! I tapped back.

For her, it could easily be something worse. I took a deep breath and pulled my son onto my lap, kissing his warm fuzzy head. I put my other hand on Samantha’s arm and waited.

Perspective

In my family, we focus on a word each season –biblical words that emphasize God’s character or the fruit of the Spirit. Last summer it was contentment. In the fall, it was faithfulness. This spring season our word is peace.

Ironic. Maybe…

Since plastering that word adorned with rainbows stickers on the fridge, my five-year-old had broken her arm, and now my three-year-old was at the ER. We had just gotten off a merry-go-round of awful winter diseases and daddy was away on ministry. I could only cry, God, what are you doing?!

I suppose I’ve learned by now that when you ask for a trait from the Lord he will be faithful in answering. He will grow you into it. He will teach you, sometimes painfully. PEACE.

Jesus said,

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27ESV

Learning to Sing

As we waited in the hospital, Sammy requested a song we’d been blasting in the van. Peace overwhelming peace is the chorus to the electronic dance track. It felt funny to listen to it in the ER, but it made us both smile even as I felt tears on my cheeks.

How do I sing in April showers? Through the tears. Because of Jesus, my current level of happiness doesn’t determine my peace. My inner security isn’t based on my circumstance even when it hurts. I’ve found in suffering our praise becomes not just encouragement, but our warfare.

David in the psalms writes,

I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Pslam 121:1-2

After several, owies, pokes and tests. Add an MRI machine constructed to look like a giant sandcastle and it turned out, she did have appendicitis. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. My mom-intuition was correct. Thank you, Lord, you are good! I whispered as we wheeled her out of the test room.

Before she went into surgery, we recited the verse we’d been learning at home.

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Is. 26:3

Rain doesn’t always obscure our view. Sometimes it cleans the grime from the windshield. That means I can cry and praise at the same time. Hands lifted, reciting God’s promises on an ER fold-out chair. I can be honest with Jesus because he knows. My prayer lately during a season of showers? Jesus, let this storm rage around me but not within me.

When my eyes are fixed on HIM and not the storm I can hear him say, Look at me, it’s okay. I love you. I know it hurts and I’m right here. And then together, we sing in the rain.

Hope Sings in Spring Showers

04.23.2019 by Kim Findlay //

Welcome to Facets of Faith, a space where three friends get together each month and explore topics of faith, friendship, and fun. I don’t know how it’s been in your part of the world but here in New England, we’ve had our share of rain. So what better question to explore than what helps you sing in April’s showers? Check out what Tracy and Jen shared earlier this month. I’m (Kim) so excited to introduce you to one of my New England friends in a couple of days. But for now, it’s my turn.

THE WIND

They were tired —bone-weary. Not only was it incredible work to serve thousands of people a meal, but they were still considering all they had seen. Basket after basket, there seemed to be a never-ending supply of bread and fish, enough to feed thousands of men, women, and children who sat to hear him speak.

And then it was time to go. Jesus said to his disciples that he would dismiss the people and then steal away to be alone to pray. He told them to get in the boat that bobbed by the shore and he would meet up with them later.

Peter and the others push off their boat from the edge of the shore and began the trek across the Sea of Galilee. Quiet at first, each man pondered the events of what they’d witnessed. Lost in their thoughts, serving the meal felt surreal, like a dream even though they saw the satisfied souls eat their fill with their own eyes.

Suddenly Peter’s cloak whipped about him. The wind picked up as their boat dipped and rose with the waves. Spray from the waves smacking against the boat soaked their clothes. Disoriented, they struggled to maintain the course as fear ignited their souls.

Waves crashed against one side of the boat causing it to dangerously sway and tip. Then smashed from the right, the boat rocked the other way, almost as if the waves and wind were playing a game —a deadly one. The disciples worked together to make their way through the storm, but no amount of striving or struggling could set their boat straight.

WHEN STORMS SOAK OUR FAITH

I’m not a fan of storms. The rain doesn’t bother me as much as the wind that blows through trees as it wipes the remnants of winter away. Here in New England, just as in the Midwest where I lived most of my life, gusts reach 30, 40, even 50 mph blowing over trees and knocking out power.

As I read the events of the disciples crossing the stormy sea, I find kindred spirits as they fought. The striving to keep their boat moving forward —I imagine them calling out to each other, yelling at what needs to be done next.

How often when I’m faced with a storm in my life, I take in the details, assess the situation, and then figure out what I can do to make everything better, to fix the problem —or at least what I perceive that problem to be. I bark orders to those around me, determined to control every drop of conflict toward the outcome I think should occur.

I will fix.

I will fix my problem.

And then I fall in exhaustion as I utterly miss the point.

On my own, I am helpless against the storms. In my striving, I become exhausted and overwhelmed with worry. Disappointment, discouragement, and disenchantment threaten to knock my faith out from under me, soaking me in sorrow.

HOPE BREAKS THROUGH

I imagine the utter exhaustion the disciples felt as the boat tipped and swayed at the mercy of the wind and the waves. What kinds of questions rolled through their minds?

When will this end?

Why is this happening . . .now?

Will we make it?

Where is he . . .

Oh, how often those same questions tumbled and twisted in my mind as the storms of life swirled all around me. The wind wails, drowning out my hope.

And yet . . .

How often I forget truth I’ve learned through other storms, darker monsoons that about destroyed everything. I forget the truth the disciples didn’t see but Scripture declares for us.

He saw that they were in serious trouble, rowing hard and struggling against the wind and the waves.” Mark 6:48a, NLT

Jesus saw the disciples —he knew they were in trouble as they struggled. So often as the darkness of a spring storm unleashes on us, we feel alone, isolated, wondering if the God of the universe even notices our little lives.

He does. “You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.” Psalm 139:2-3, NLT

And not only does he see us, He also draws near.

About three o’clock in the morning Jesus came toward them, walking on water.” Matthew 14:25

In fact, the very purpose of Jesus’ life was to draw us into a relationship with his Father. Through his death, he paid the penalty our sins deserve, once and for all. And through his resurrection, he conquers death, our greatest enemy. It is by him and through him that we have life and breath no matter the storm that threatens us.

He is our hope.

This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.” Hebrews 6:19, NLT

And he knows our frailty.

TAKE COURAGE, HE IS HERE

He knows we fear and fret what we cannot see, even when what we cannot see is the very One who silences the storms.

. . .but when they saw him walking on the water, they cried out in terror, thinking he was a ghost. They were all terrified when they saw him. But Jesus spoke to them at once. ‘Don’t be afraid,’ he said. ‘Take courage! I am here!’ Then he climbed into the boat, and the wind stopped. They were totally amazed.” Mark 6:49-51, NLT

How do we learn to sing in April’s showers? We take courage —we take courage not only because we are seen and loved by the One who sustains us, but because he tells us to.

We learn to sing as the rain falls because He is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2) and doesn’t leave us to flounder in the elements on our own.

Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy.” Psalm 126:5

We learn to sing because Jesus rescued us —first from sin and death, and then from the muck and mire left by the storms of life.

I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, our of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord.” Psalm 40:1-3, NLT

And that is a reason to sing.

What helps you sing in April showers? We’d love for you to join the conversation either by posting below or joining us on our Facebook page.

Singin’ in the Rain: God’s promises in the storm

04.09.2019 by Jennifer Howe //

Welcome to Facets, friend! This month we’re been thinking about April showers bringing next month’s flowers. Never mind that we may get measurable snow in our area this week. (More than a month later, I still want to have that conversation with a certain groundhog!) You can find Tracy’s post here. Kim will follow up next week, and we’ll introduce our guest the next. Check back each week; better yet, subscribe so you don’t miss a thing.

When the question “What helps you sing in April showers?” was posed, a string of questions formed in my (Jennifer) mind. The Bible talks about rain: flooding rain from the heavens in Noah’s day, seasonal rains that grew and blessed a harvest, and droughts when the rains didn’t come. I immediately realized the purpose of the rain and what it’s made of matters.

When It Rains…
I’m attentive to flows of events. We’ve all heard “Things always come in threes” and “When it rains, it pours.”¹ Somewhere in life, I learned a cause-effect-connect-the-dots mentality and saw connections as raining either positively or negatively. Overlay that with either a warped or biblical spiritual perspective, and it gets interesting. A mist is one thing; a downpour is different. We want to know who sends the rain—or who allows it? The answer to that, on the spiritual level, says more about the One who knows all things than the things.

Naming the Raindrops…
Perspective is everything. When “Raindrops keep fallin’ on my head, that doesn’t mean my eyes will soon be turning red…”² Rain comes, and it’s important to define what it’s made of. I name the drops, but sometimes I’m tuned in to one kind.

I’ve been blessed financially, the work is coming in, I’ve found the perfect car, and a friend checked in to see how I’m doing today. (How am I doing? Great, obvs!)

In another moment I reflect on long drives to see cars that were “incredible,” definitely not worth my time or gas; the second, expensive silicon ring I’ve lost; the messy piles that gather when I’m working so much; and a schedule I constructed (with a shoehorn). How am I doing then? (Ugh! It’s raining, and I don’t have my muck boots.)

This is the little stuff on the Doppler, too, practically a mist. The really big, painful drops that hit in the middle of a storm aren’t funny—they can be overwhelming!

The Pressure—of a Name…
When I’m naming raindrops, it’s important to gain a little perspective. Counting blessings is ever-so-much easier than seeming curses. It’s not that we walk through difficult times; we all will—it’s Who we walk with!

But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you Isaiah 43:1-2b

The fear I identify with sad or harsh rain is drenched in felt-safety, needs and wants, intimate connection to God and others, duration of the trouble, and the pain of sorting out the past, present, and future.

But, God...
I remember circumstances may be real obstacles, the emotions valid—but God. The God-lover following Jesus is redeemed! He calls her by name; knowing everything about her, noticing every detail, and caring about each one. When the waters rise, He is with her; she will not be overwhelmed. That language is a promise, and He doesn’t speak fragile, insignificant words.

Like a thick cloud, I wipe away your offenses; like a cloud, your sins. Come back to me, for I have redeemed you.” Isaiah 44:22 CJB

The dark rain with my own name swirling though every drop.

He saved them from hostile hands, redeemed them from the power of the foe. Psalm 106:10 CJB

The stinging, pelting drops I never wanted.

Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith. Galatians 3:14 NLT

The rain of blessing rooted in love, bringing the gift of a Counselor and, ultimately, eternal life.

Sheltering in Place…
Whether it mists or pours, we have a safe place to shelter with the One who loves and protects, the One who is our victory in the storm. He delivers us from the worst—the sin that separates us, darkness that overshadows our hearts, harm that threatens our present and future, the loneliness in the storm.

You are a hiding-place for me, you will keep me from distress; you will surround me with songs of deliverance. (Selah) Psalm 32:7 CJB

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Isaiah 26:3 ESV

Our safe “umbrella” in the rain is under the protection of our very big God who speaks unbreakable promise words: “redeemed…blessing…promised Holy Spirit…songs of deliverance…hiding place…perfect peace.” These words help me sing in the rain and puddle-jump.

What helps you sing in the rain? I really want to know. Comment below or at our Facebook Page. Know someone who might be encouraged by Facets of Faith? Share away!

Thanks for reading. Love ya’!

¹ Morton Salt Company. Motto. 1914.
² Bacharach, Burt & Hal David. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head. Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. 1969.
Scripture sourced from biblestudytools.com.