Before the Rains End

I’ve always loved walking in the rain.  And while walking alone never stopped me before, now that I have a dog, I have an even better excuse to venture out amidst the wet and wind.  She doesn’t enjoy the rain quite as much as I, but her enthusiasm for walks usually beats out her dislike of rain.  Given the choice of staying home or coming along, she will always choose to come along. 

The other night we were splashing around the neighborhood when she stopped to sniff an earthworm that was squiggling its way through the shallow stream running down the road.  In the flicker of the streetlights we could see dozens of similar worms had emerged from their earthbound slumber to make their way through the water.  “You better get to where you’re going before the rains stop,” I whispered.  Because once the rains stop, their lack of exoskeleton would stick them to the pavement like thick paste, and they would dry out in the sun. 

In this way, we are like those earthworms.  The Bible tells us no one but God knows the day or time when this Earth will be replaced with God’s kingdom (Matthew 24:36).  But we do know that each one of us will have our travels here on earth come to an end.  Like the earthworms, it’s important that we, too, get to where we’re going before it is too late.  Paul tells us to run our race as one on purpose, as one seeking “the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).  We need to live the life that God has laid before us but be careful not to get distracted by the things of this world.  While we can enjoy our splash through the puddle, we need to always keep in mind that at some point the rains will end and the puddle will dry up.  At that point the question becomes: have we accomplished everything God set before us?  Have we run our race on purpose?  Have we gotten to where we needed to go? 

Is there something God has placed in your life that you are putting off?  Do it now.  Before the rains end.

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.  They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  Therefore, I do not run like a man running aimlessly. 1 Corinthians 9:24-26