Skip to main content

Rain, Target Umbrellas, and a Shelter in the Time of Storms

Today, once again, I found myself scurrying from the front doors of the local Target Superstore to the front seat of my car. In a thunderstorm. As it happened, I couldn't help but laugh at myself and how-very-often this scenario repeats in my life.

Without a doubt, it always seems to be raining when I enter/exit a Target. Some may excuse this away as being "Florida summer weather;" however, it's happened to me in other seasons, too. And it's even happened to me in other states. In fact, when I lived in Lynchburg,Virginia before, I got to the point where I had to resolve to getting soaking-wet because I absolutely refused to buy yet-another Target-branded umbrella. My umbrella collection was getting to be quite extensive and unruly. And, oddly enough, my umbrellas were quite inaccessible when I needed them the most. They always happened to be in the coat closet at home. Or in the closet of my classroom. Or in the trunk of my car. You know, conveniently tucked anywhere but where I needed them when I needed them. No big deal. Until I got super-soaking wet. And grumpy. And began to blame myself for not preparing better, not checking the forecast, and simply not knowing better. Then, it became a big deal suddenly, and I decided to do something about it.

Enter the the season of my life where I bought and carried extra large purses solely to accommodate the extra space and weight of an all-time go-to umbrella at-hand. This season of the weather forecasts was also affectionately termed "the drought" because it seemingly didn't rain on the Earth for about 2 years that I can remember carrying umbrellas in my over-sized purses.

Of course, I'm taking things slightly overboard and being a tad bit dramatic, but it serves a purpose. Today, after rushing to my car in the rain. I turned on the radio and heard one of my favorite songs "Lord, I Need You" by Matt Maher.

If you haven't heard it before, I encourage you to listen to it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuvfMDhTyMA

As I listened, I was reminded of the goodness of God. And how I need Him. Oh, how I need Him. Very much unlike an umbrella, I need Him every hour, every minute. I need Him. He's my One Defense against the storms of life. But how often I forget that and tend to lean on my own attempts (running, holding onto Target-made umbrellas, weighing down my purses with excessive precautions for rains that may or may not come) to keep me dry in stormy seasons of life.

I don't know about you, but I'm learning to be thankful for the rain.
I'm learning to be thankful for Target umbrellas.
Ultimately, I'm learning to be ever-mindful and ever-thankful to serve a God that is dependable every hour of my life. He's not just someone I run to when the rains come. Or someone I call on after my attempts and Target umbrellas haven't cut it to protect me from the storms of life. He's my Shelter in the Time of Storms, yes. But He's also the God I need.

Come rain or shine, every hour, I need Him.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

For inquiring minds that would like to know… here's our story.

For some of you in my life, you've been asking, praying, and waiting to see something noteworthy happening in my dating life. So have I. Because I don't exactly know where to start, I'll simply begin at the beginning. Jeff and I both went to school together at Trinity Christian Academy here in Jacksonville from kindergarten to twelfth grade. From first grade to sixth grade, we had all the same teachers. Because our last names are so similar alphabetically (Hazard and Hill), we were seemingly ALWAYS sitting next to each other. Seriously. Always. Around. Each. Other. haha… For those of you that know me well or have known me for a long time, you know that God's done quite the work in my life over the years in chipping away some (note: not all) of my childhood sassiness and giving me a sweet spirit in its place. However, for those of you that knew me then, you would readily agree that I was quite the "over-confident little girl" (to quote my daddy). ...

Why Skylar Dixon is my Hero

Why Skylar Dixon is my Hero I’m not a big follower of the show American Idol, but I have watched my fair share of episodes/seasons in a hit-or-miss fashion. I especially watched episodes consistently when Skylar Dixon’s brother, Colton Dixon, was on the show. He was refreshingly different to watch. He had true talent and a knack for connecting to his audiences. It also helped that he was a Christian and an all-out good-looking guy. Then, I soon found out he was born in the 1990’s, and I felt creepy for watching the show like I once did. So the American Idol fan train stopped there for me on that very same day. Though I no longer followed the show, I still very much appreciate and enjoy hearing Colton’s song, You Are, on Christian radio on my way to work. It helps me put things in perspective. Check it out if you get a chance: Colton Dixon’s “You Are” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YM8hxE-j4T8 Though it’s pretty much the same ole’, same ole’ rig-a-ma-role every s...

Things I'm learning.... (reprise)

Quite a few years ago, I wrote a list of "things I'm learning…" It contained advice, quotes, and sheer observations about the life I was living and the life that was carrying on all around me. Well, today, I thought about that list for the first time (in a very, very long time) and thought perhaps I should re-create it, in a sense, based on where I find myself in life right now. at this very moment. Nothing came from quote websites or the like… it's all fresh from my little Rosemary brain. Hope you enjoy it, and it brings some encouragement and comfort and COURAGE your way - no matter where you find yourself along life's journey today. :) Things I'm learning... 1. Assume that everything has nothing to do with you, until directly told otherwise. Even then, know that you can't possibly know the full story. There's always something going on behind the scenes. 2. Don't try to please people. Please God. He'll deal with the people. 3. Sometimes k...