We have had a LOT of rain this summer. Mowing the grass in late August in Maryland typically means stirring up dust clouds once every 7 to 10 days just to keep the lawn tidy. But this year the mower is choking on the thick grass and the blades are as dull as a butter knife from overuse. My boots squish in the swampy fields on the way to the pasture and I am so thankful that all this precipitation is falling as rain and not snow.
Strong thunderstorms rumbled through the area this evening. This was the loudest thunder, the hardest rain and the strongest wind of the season. Between down pours I went to out check on the animals, the fences and the shelters. I counted heads and tails – everyone accounted for – although a few tails were wagging from underneath the feeders and beds! No trees down on fences but I tagged some limbs that need to go before the next storm.
The rain came so hard and fast this time that some of the smaller shelters flooded. The duck pen was under water and water was rising in Rosie’s pen. I already moved the rabbits inside. Rosie and her chicks were coming in too. The ducks will share the chicken coop on higher ground. Everyone will have a safe, dry place to lay their head tonight…and I will fall asleep to gentle snores of exhausted pups, the rustling of rabbits in the hay and muffled “peep-peeps” of the chicks tucked under mama’s wings.
We all need a safe place, a shelter from the storms: A pure heart that offers grace, open arms that offer comfort, strong shoulders that carry our pain, gentle hands that wipe away our tears, and wisdom that points us to the best path. Our souls long for this kind of security in relationships. We are created to love and to be loved…and we spend a life time learning how to do this well.
There is a Master of safe places and security. Scripture, and moments like these (dark, loud thunderstorms!), remind us that He sees us hiding under the benches. He knows when it’s time to trim our branches. AND we can live securely in His presence and under his wings knowing that he meets us in our storms. We find our strength and security in the shelter Jesus offers. His is a shelter of unconditional love for our broken hearts and rest for our tired souls… no matter our circumstances, no matter our storm. That is beautiful security.
“I love you, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; My God is my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” Psalm 18:1-2
