It’s middle of December and we have not experienced any snow yet here in Vancouver. Showers are trending. It has been raining for a week now, non-stop. I do not know about you, but I love rain more than snow. Must be to do with me who originally came from a country with two seasons only – wet and dry or summer and rainy seasons. Rain – I am so used to it, in drizzles, tiny cute drops or heavy and frightening torrents accompanied with thunder and lightnings.

I work in the office. And because I sit for long periods of time, walking around the hall way during my break time became my habit. As I was waiting for the elevator to come up last Thursday, I stood by the window and saw this scene. Children were happily playing under the rain! I thought to myself – “This is what you do when life gives you rainy days, don’t let it stop you. Go and wear cute raincoats and boots and jump on the puddles and play around.” The good Lord made me saw this scene in this kind of context.

You see, rain symbolizes a lot of things. But it depends on the context in which it appears. Rain most commonly gives the impression of sadness, hopelessness or rejection. People can only see darkness and depression when it rains because sunlight is diminished. And in literature and movies, rain is often used to invoke a pitifully sad and abandoned or lonely mood.

Even the Bible has some negative references about rain.

The negative effects of rain. Noah’s Flood – Genesis 7:4 “Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made. ”. Figuratively and literally – The Lord “rains” down judgment as well as blessing: brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:24); hail on Egypt (Exod. 9:23); coals on the wicked (Ps. 11:6). Figuratively as in Matt. 7:27, “The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” Rain represents the difficulties of life in Matt. 7:27, which can be resolved by following the teachings of Jesus.

But because I am an optimist, I chose to write more on the up side of rain in our lives. So what’s the good thing about rain? It’s cleansing. Rain cleans the air. And because rain is a natural occurrence vital for life, for me rainfall can also represent a new life ( just like when one gets baptized in the water ) and emotional and spiritual cleansing. Rain feels like a new beginning, a fresh start, a clean slate. For me it signifies a new hope, the start of something new and refreshing. Rain is a contributing factor for the existence of human, animal and plant life. Without rain nothing can exist on earth, it’s as simple as that. Because rain is a part of the water cycle, it replenishes aquifers, clears the air, make plants and trees grow, it fills the streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and all bodies of water and is used in hydro-power generating stations. Without rain there will only be a vast and parched desert. And the list goes on for other scientific benefits of rain not only for humanity but for all living things, living creatures great and small. The sound of falling rain is good for you and me and for everybody. It helps us to relax and fall asleep faster. There is this white-noise effect from the falling rain which allow our minds to focus our thoughts on the rain sound instead of anything else, thus we wind up relaxing easier and falling asleep faster. Other reason maybe because we tend to associate falling rain with romance – such as walking in the rain with the one you love or dancing and singing in the rain etc. or even making love in the rain. The bottom line is, the connection between romance and rain is one of the reason that we love the sound of the falling rain.

Biblically speaking, rain is one of the chief blessings God promised to bestow. Rain in the Bible is a conditional blessing for obedience and as a part of God’s grace. In the books of Matthew and Acts of the Apostles, here we can read that rain was not only a covenant blessing for obedience but God also sends His rain to all. In the book of Leviticus 26:4 , God says “Then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.” God’s word is compared to rain because it is life-giving – John 7:38 “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”

Life is going to be a struggle physically and spiritually without rain. Obedience to God attracts blessings into our lives. We can expect obedience to bring refreshment, blessings and growth, just like the good effects of rain figuratively and literally. We can expect showers of blessings.