It's raining

(man the coffee is good there!)

I was recently in Seattle for a conference. Some of my coworkers assured me it was the most exciting, beautiful city around. Now, I enjoyed catching a ballgame at Safeco Field and appreciated that I could get a great cup of coffee every 300 feet. But, mostly it seemed like a place where I wouldn’t feel very much at home. I suppose that was primarily because it rained most of every day. That rain caused me to notice an unusual phenomenon. Even though there is so much precipitation in Seattle, no one seems to carry an umbrella. It’s almost as if people have decided, ‘I’m going to get wet no matter what I do, so why bother?”

That attitude is alright for umbrellas, but a “why bother” frame of mind for larger life issues can be very dangerous. Think of these examples: “I’m just going to die someday anyway, so why bother exercising or eating healthy?” Or, “I’ll never be able to solve all the world’s problems, so why bother trying to help even one person?” Or worst of all, “This life is all there is, so why bother thinking about anything or anyone other than myself?”

I believe this life is not all there is. Jesus said this to Nicodemus in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Into each life some rain must fall; keep your umbrella up.

Brian

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