Walking in the rain

Have you ever gone for a walk in the rain? Sometimes this can be a fun experience. Then there are times when it is not so fun. It can also be an experience that God uses to remind us of his presence in our lives, especially when we are open to his guidance.

This past week I went on retreat to the Broom Tree retreat Center near Irene, S.D.
Irene is a small town of about 450 people near Sioux Falls. It’s surrounded by open country. There are plenty of corn fields, hay meadows and a herd of mooing cows. It’s a beautifully quiet setting in God’s amazing creation. The only cars I saw were in the parking lot. They were harmless when there was no one driving them at breakneck speed.

The retreat itself followed the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius Loyola and was meant to be kept in silence. Many people who know me well ask if it is even possible for me to do this kind of retreat.

If I was to be perfectly honest, earlier in my life I would have said “no.” I do enjoy them now, though, and God always has a few surprises in store as the days progress. The priest who led our retreat gave us Scripture passages to meditate on during our personal prayer time and told us we should pray for a gift. He reminded us that the greatest human activity is receiving the love of God. A basic question to ask ourselves is if we are truly open to all the gifts our Father wishes to pour into our lives.

The retreat center itself sits high on a hill. When you walk into the backyard there are swings and a gazebo. Then below the yard is a meadow. There are walking trails throughout the meadow with a set of the stations of the cross. Then along the trail are also benches and more gazebos in which to sit and pray.

I started along this trail as the mist began to fall. It felt so light there seemed to be no need to turn around and head back to cover. I noticed the shelters but didn’t pay too much attention, thinking the rain could be fun. Then the rain started getting heavier. I quickly realized it would soon soak me. It was time to head for one of the shelters.

The one I ducked into had a sign out front with the shelter's name. It was the Divine Mercy shelter.

The rain outside wasn’t so bad when I was surrounded by Divine Mercy.

There are a lot of different types of rain that enter our lives and threaten to soak us. It can sometimes be our own fault, like when we sin. There are also times it is just a normal part of life. The most common example can be illness or the death of a loved one. It may be a time of job loss or many other things that we need to deal with in our lives.

These situations, while still painful, are easier to handle when we allow the Lord to assist us. We often end up realizing that he is not just assisting but rather carrying us, through these burdens or times of rain. As Hebrews 4:15-16 reminds us: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help.”