I remember as a child, being disappointed when the teacher would tell us that we could not go outside at recess because it was raining. My friends and I would gather and sing, “Rain Rain go away, come again another day”, with the hopes that the rain would stop and allow us to go outside. We truly had childlike faith, because although it never worked, we never stopped believing that one day it would. You see, as a child, our faith is strong and it hardly ever waivers. We want things so badly that we believe we are capable of doing whatever it takes to make it happen- even stopping the rain.
As I reminisce on this memory, I am reminded of two lessons that I learned:
- I need my childlike faith back
- Even if it is raining, play anyway
The older we get, the more we experience disappointment and heartache. We learn that even though we are capable of many things, there are also many things that are beyond our control. But instead of accepting this, we lose confidence in our abilities. Our enthusiasm slowly starts to fade away, along with our childlike faith. 1 Corinthians 13:11 says, “When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things”. I would like to think that childlike faith would be an exception to this rule. I want to continue to see the world with childlike faith. I want to believe that no wish, dream, or desire is beyond my reach. I want to believe that I am indeed capable of stopping the rain; “Rain Rain Go Away, Come Again Another Day”.
When we know what God has promised us, and we know the purpose He has given us; we have faith in it all. Nothing is out of our reach when it comes to God. The inner child in us will always believe in the best. It is our adult self that kills those beliefs and questions that level of faith. But you know what? I am going to ride with my inner child every time on this one! My childlike faith will always make me believe that I deserve the best and that God has the best for me. I am fully capable of stopping the rain so that I can go outside to play. Even more so, it brings me to the second lesson I learned; I am able to play outside, despite the rain.
Over the years, I have developed a strong love-love relationship with the rain. As a child, I was always taught to stay out of the rain so that I don’t get my hair wet. As an adult, I was told to stay out of the rain so that I don’t ruin my makeup. Stay out of the rain! As an adult, it was depressing! As a child, it was devastating! Rain Rain Go Away! No riding bikes, playing with cousins, or running up and down the dusty dirt roads to my Gran-Gran’s house. It meant sitting in the house cleaning my room, watching TV, or doing something that eventually led to me getting in trouble. It seemed like it rained forever, even if it lasted only 5 minutes. And you know what, it still seems this way as an adult.
Whenever I found myself in the rain, it seemed like it lasted forever, even though it is temporary. Trouble doesn’t last always, and neither does the rain. And once I realized this, the rain didn’t seem mean or depressing. I no longer wanted to wish it away. I learned that the rain doesn’t stop anything; it actually ushers in the start of new things. God opens the flood gates to new beginnings, and you can’t have a flood without the rain. The rain washes away the old. It cleanses the old me to make way for the new. And if I look upward through the rain, it washes away my tears. I’ve learned to embrace the blessings of newness that it brings. I’ve learned to embrace new habits, new thoughts, new patterns, new ways of life, and new people in my life. My childlike faith has been reactivated. With my head lifted and my arms stretched wide, I proudly, confidently, fiercely, authentically, enthusiastically, and childishly stand in the rain.
