Rain On Our Parade

Last Friday was homecoming in Gettysburg.  They had all the usual homecoming festivities including, of course, the homecoming parade.  The parade was supposed to start at 1:30.  So, around 1:00, everyone got ready.  The floats came out, the bands came out, everyone got into position.  The spectators got into position, too.  And then, around 1:10 or 1:15, what happened?

It rained.  And all the floats got wet.  And all the bands got wet.  And all the spectators got wet.  And we all learned the meaning of the phrase “don’t rain on my parade”.  As much as we like to see rain around here, no one wants it to rain during the homecoming parade.

But you know what?  Everyone seemed to enjoy the parade anyway.  It had pretty much stopped raining by the time the parade started, which helped.  People were still wet, and some of the floats looked worse for the rain, and I don’t suppose it did the band instruments (not to mention the band members) any good, either.  But still, I did not hear anyone complain.  As I looked at the crowd, all I saw were smiles.  Everyone was having a good time.

There’s a lesson there for us, I think.  There are a lot of times in life when things don’t go the way we want them to go.  There are a lot of times, in other words, when life rains on our parade.  And when that happens, we have to make a choice.  We can let those times, those circumstances, define and get the better of us.  Or, we can decide that we’re going to be happy and enjoy life regardless of the circumstances.

I think God likes it when we make the second choice.  The Bible tells us we should be thankful in all circumstances.  It seems to me that happiness and thankfulness are related.  It’s hard to be happy if we’re not thankful for what we have, and it’s hard to be thankful when we’re unhappy.  So, being thankful in all circumstances seems like it has to mean being happy in all circumstances.

When I refer to “happiness” in this sense, of course, I’m not talking about a momentary good feeling.  We won’t always have that.  It’s not possible.  What I’m referring to is “happiness” in the sense of overall satisfaction, a sense of peace, a sense that we’re okay with the way things are even if they’re not the way we wish they were.

And I think that sense comes from faith in God.  It comes from trusting that God is there, that God is in control, and that God is going to work things out for the best.  It comes from keeping that faith and that trust even when it seems like things are going wrong.  In fact, it comes from keeping that faith and that trust even when we cannot see how things will ever go right again.

Life is going to rain on our parade.  But rain and snow and wind are all part of God’s plan.  So are sunshine and cool breezes.  Let’s resolve to be thankful and happy for all of it, satisfied with the fact that God is in control and will make everything work out for God’s glory.