When it rains...

Today, being Tuesday, is dump-the-rain-gauge day. The intent is to insure that every week there is at least one inch of rain on the garden. I expected at least that much as I went to the gauge, but the float had not moved, even a fraction of an inch.

That was particularly surprising because yesterday it rained. It dumped big full buckets of rain for at least fifteen minutes, then paused, caught its breath and dumped some more. It was astounding, dramatic, and enticing. Only, I was viewing it all out a window  some 14 miles away from home where I was attending a meeting and I could only stay seated and glance toward the deluge and try to keep my mouth from flopping open and embarrassing myself. 

Imagine my surprise, then, when today I shake the rain gauge upside-down and find naught but an old drip or two. I had given thanks yesterday that the rain came to water the garden. Today I irrigated. Is it proper to rescind a prayer of thanksgiving? (Well, she thinks, fists tight and planted on her hips, thanks!  Thanks a lot. Seems rude. Is rude).  And now I think perhaps assuming my garden was being watered at the same time was a tad presumptuous.

It made me think, "for it rains on the righteous and the unrighteous alike", though I'm not sure in context which would be righteous and which not--my garden or me. But, since it is a very bad paraphrase, I had to look up what the red-letters actually say:

                          "For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good,
                              and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." 

And this is nestled in the section of the book of Matthew referring to how we treat one another. I always thought the verse was about how God blesses and provides for all, no matter how churlish or depraved,  but had not thought about how we are called to do the same thing. If He is our model and guide, and we are to be as He is ("Be ye holy, as I am holy."), then we must also send rain on the just and the unjust, and shine on the evil and on the good.

                            "As though he did not regard human character at all, God bids
                           his sun shine on good and bad. As though he did not know that
                           any men were vile, he bids the shower descend on the just and unjust..." 
                                                                                                                                         Charles Spurgeon

As though He did not know!!  He does know, and we do know. But our behavior towards others is to be such that we seem not to know. And no matter what, we keep on shining, we keep on raining...
    

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