Rainy shoulders

I know this isn't news for anyone but just my own musings. Sometimes life feels like a downpour! It comes down hard, fast and relentlessly. Coming up for air seems impossible and so you just keep your head down and lean into the onslaught. At times like this it is hard to look outside myself. I'm not very good at finding the rainbow amidst the storm. Such were my selfish thoughts last week when I read my cousin's blog. The 'weather' in her neck of the woods was similar to mine. She said I could share with you. She lives on a large farm and among other raindrops falling down upon her she wrote this:

When I went to get the mail today, I was noticing how badly the alfalfa needs to be cut and how ragged the lawn looks. I was wondering what we are going to do about the Johnson grass in our garden plot and how we are going to afford the fencing that we want to put in so we have more pasture land. I looked at the weeds choking the electric fence line and wondered when we would ever have time to kill those off and get the electric fence working again. I wondered what possessed us to think we could handle a farm. I guess it has just been one of those days.
I came in the house and did something I hardly ever do--I turned on the tv. There was a talk from the 2006 Womens Conference on the BYU channel and the speaker told of a time when she was praying to have her burden lightened because she just couldnt carry it any longer. The Spirit whispered to her that she was praying for the wrong thing. She needed to pray for stronger shoulders to be able to carry the burden.

I was grateful to read Melanie's words. It was a slice of the rainbow I needed to see. And one of the wonderful things about being 41 years old, I do know that weather patterns like this come and go. I also know that a heavy rain is cleansing. It washes the dust and dirt away. So as the rain falls I'll look through the pelting drops and pray for stronger shoulders. What a beautiful perspective. Thanks Melanie.