Rainy Day Thoughts

This morning I woke to a thunderstorm.

It started off in the distance and, as the thunder got closer, the rain came.

Liquid sheets of it.

The kind of rain that goes deep into the earth. Waking up dried out roots. Soaking everything in its path.

In Michigan, June was a dry month and July, until today, hadn't been much better.

So the wetness was very, very welcome and refreshing.

I lifted one of my cats, Abbott, up to an open window and he immediately began to smell it. The scent of the raindrops. Distinct and subtle and even sweet.

Rain can oftentimes be viewed as an inconvenience. But to farmers, like my brother David, who manages an apple orchard, it's lifeblood. No rain, no crops. It doesn't get much simpler.

Then I got to thinking about virtues. Like generosity, forgiveness, patience, love.

They are lifeblood too.

Generosity is defined as the quality of being kind and understanding. It's thinking of others. Putting others first. Reaching out to help. Being inclined to put the needs of our neighbors and those in need above ours. Among the benefits of being generous are that it keeps stress in check, it's beneficial to the greater good, promotes mental health and leads to a longer life.

Forgive is the root of forgiveness, which is "to stop feeling anger towards someone who has wronged us, to stop blaming them." Forgiveness isn't dependent upon if the other person asks for it. In fact, forgiveness is a decision, not an emotion.

Normally what happens when we perceive that a wrong has been committed against us, we have two choices. We can choose to remain angry. Among unresolved anger's consequences are a weakened immune system, increased anxiety, depression and a shorter life span.

Not surprisingly, the consequences of not forgiving are the exact opposite of being generous.

Patience is "the ability to wait, or continue doing something despite difficulties." It's also "the ability to suffer without complaining or being annoyed." So patience doesn't always express itself by remaining still or being inactive. In fact, some of the most striking examples of patience involve a steadfast pressing on despite circumstances.

Of course, to know when to wait, or when to keep going requires wisdom. I will freely admit that I'm not, by nature, a patient person! So I find myself daily needing wisdom. (Thankfully, the Bible speaks about God freely giving wisdom to those who ask for it. James 1.5) The Message translation puts it this way: "If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it."

And how about love? Well, one definition is "a feeling of strong or constant affection for a person, attraction that includes sexual desire."

Although love can certainly include strong feelings and physical attraction I would submit that love is a lot more than that.

How about this classic definition from the apostle Paul's 1st letter to the Corinthians?

"Love is patient. Love is kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable and keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance." (1 Corn. 13: 4-7).

Paul goes on to say that "love never fails."

So, according to this definition, love isn't an emotion (although it can cause you to feel things at times), it's primarily a decision.

Here's something I'm beginning to understand. If I focus solely on current events I can easily become very cynical and my emotional state can turn into parched earth. (I am, by no means, advocating for ignoring what's going on in DC or elsewhere in the world. But I do feel the need to keep focused on the reality of the underlying good that exists in God and us - if you choose to believe in God - and virtue. Some faith traditions call it focusing on what is "good and true.")

We can choose to look for opportunities to be generous, forgiving, patient and loving. And by doing so, help make the world a better place and actually promote our own health and well-being at the same time.

Of course, always seeking wisdom to know how and when to put these virtues into practice.

And when it comes down to it, wouldn't you rather be leaving the world a better place each day because you are in it?

Photo Credits:
Top - elenakalisphoto.com
Middle - imagarcade.com
Bottom - Public Domain Pictures

Note: All definitions that are quoted, with exception of the definition of love from the NIV Bible, are from Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary.