Without the rain, you would wither

So, I was reading in my _Streams in the Desert_ devotional today, and the passage was about how storms in life are trying, but necessary, for without them, we would scarcely ever notice the blessings they bring in the aftermath. The author spoke about a midwestern storm that was devastating, uprooting trees, damaging property, and dark and violent. She describes the winds blowing the storm away after it hit, and watching it retreat, leaving rainbows in its wake. She describes how for weeks following the storm, there were flowers unlike most summers in the fields that year, how the grass was greener because of the moisture, and the trees were fuller, casting more restful shade in the heat of the day.

That's just how it is with us, too. We weather the most difficult storms life has to offer and when it is all over, although we are facing trials and challenges in our recovery, we are also better equipped to see the blessings around us. I've noticed things in my own life now, as I'm recovering from this last year of storms, that I have no doubt would have gone completely unnoticed without the struggles. The grass does seem greener, the flowers more fragrant and beautiful.

Although I write this from a warm, sunny perch here in Nevada, I know that my friends in Colorado are weathering what has been weeks of rainy and unseasonably cold weather there. I hope this is encouragement to all of you, that the storms will subside eventually, and what you'll be left with then will be such a blessing. Hang in there! It's worth the wait.