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Whirring lawnmowers. Annoying blowers. This was how my morning started. How could I attain quiet for a conversation with the Lord?

I walked to my family room window and looked out. Beautiful blossoms arrayed the trees, and at the same time, spewed out their allergy-packed pollen as thick as fog, prompting tissues to peek out of all my pockets. A brisk breeze released the grip of the “helicopters” on the maple trees, as the tiny descendants concealed the ground in a blanket of ancestry.

As I stood there gazing at God’s hand of creativity, a brief, sprinkle fell delicately on our patio, animating the dried seedlings and causing them to hop and dance.

Giggling at the delightful sight of dancing seedlings, the thought crossed my mind: sometimes the blustery winds of a new season blow against us, loosening our grip on the Lord as our Vine. In letting go, we find ourselves lying on the ground, disconnected from our fellowship with Him.

When this happens, we usually misunderstand the point of what has come our way. Yes, sometimes the enemy blows his hot blast of affliction upon us, but, other times, it is God’s sweet breath of purpose, which brings about a new growth season in our lives. It is not meant to cause us to release our grip but merely to tighten it and bring forth new blossoms of growth.

Along with His wind of purpose, God occasionally sends showers, whether as gentle dew or great downpours as an answer to our prayers. Either way, we are not always hopping and dancing at the answer He provides.

When we learn to welcome, with open hearts, all the elements of each new season in our lives, whether heat, cold, rain, or drought, as being the gentle guidance of the Lord to rejuvenate us, praise and thanksgiving will begin to emerge from deep within us. Starting down in our toes, it will bounce around, creep up into our throats, and dart out, causing our spirit to delight and dance before the Lord.

When you feel like a dried seedling lying on the ground, do you welcome the rains of circumstances that fall upon you? Do you understand that they are sometimes the answers to prayers? Do you dance in praise to the Lord for them?

Joel 2:23 says, “Rejoice in the LORD your God! For the rains He sends are an expression of His grace. Once more the autumn rains will come, as well as the rains of spring.” (NLT)

~Lord, May I recognize those things that come into my life as elements of guidance and may I welcome them with dancing feet in praise and thanksgiving. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Questions: How do you respond when difficulties come your way? How can we welcome the different experiences that God allows to happen in our lives?

About the Author: http://thelife.com/experience/devotionalforwomen/authors/lynn-mosher