Tonight I had the privilege of having dinner with five guys that I’ve called friends for quite some time. It was a good dinner, my favorite restaurant, and just a relaxing evening over all. As we started to leave, rain began falling and we all rushed to our vehicle to avoid getting wet. Normal reaction I suppose.

As I started to pull away from Texas Roadhouse the sky lit up with different shades of blue and green and thunder shortly followed. I actually smiled and got excited that we were having our first real thunderstorm! I can’t explain it, but I’ve just always enjoyed sitting outside on my balcony, excluding myself from the world and sitting in the presence of God during thunderstorms! 

Tonight was different though. Making my way over the Buchman bridge singing Shawn McDonald as loud as possible and laughing at people driving in the rain with their flashers on… The faces of those I met in Haiti started to come to mind. The children that fear the rain. The parents who wish they could protect those same children. The sickness and disease that’s starting to spread as water flows between the cracks of rubble, over the remains of those bodies still trapped and into the streets where people are now sleeping brought my laughter to an abrupt halt.

I started to tear up. I thought about how many people are sleeping under nothing but a canopy of clouds and stars. Not just in Haiti, but in our own backyard. The homeless. The less fortunate. Those with no roof. How many people, that as I get pissed off at the people driving slow in front of me, are praying that the rain stop falling so they can remain dry. I don’t think rain will always make me cry, but it will definitely always make me think. So many of us are so blessed while others are living in extreme poverty. Their hopes and dreams of one day having the life that we may or may not take for granted… is all they have.

So with that in mind; “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again; Rejoice!” Philippians 4:4