Last weekend our family at W Main celebrated with the Harvest Festival. It was a nice of fun, food and fellowship. There were all kinds of good food and drinks. We collected canned goods for Christmas baskets, caught up with dear friends, and enjoyed life.
It was an outdoor event. And this always makes for an adventure in an Oregon autumn. The rain season was late coming this year, but it decided that Saturday night, when the W. Main Family was gathered outdoors would be the perfect time to commence the downfall! J The main entertainment for the evening was a delightful band of musicians known as "The Old Time Fiddlers" who were gonna' strum and pick away and teach us all the fine arts of square and line dancing.
So, as you can deduce, the potential for a problem was glaring in our faces. How do we dance and enjoy when the rain is coming down? It would have been quite easy to simply say "well, the food was good. But the rains have washed away all hopes of entertainment." But that would not fly with this group! We are OREGONIANS! We laugh in the face of precipitation. We scoff at the word "rain-out". And we would not be defeated!
After a few notes drifted into the crisp and wet air, a few of our beautiful children began to dance. The joy was evident in their faces. This proved to be infectious, as before you could snap your overalls, a huge line had formed and the formal dancing had begun. For the next hour or two the crowd continued to grow as we danced and do-si-do'd around in the puddles. There was clapping, hooting, and MUCH laughing. It was a true blast. WE were having so much fun together. It was AWESOEM to see that a little adversity could not kill the good time.
This is also how we are to approach our walks with Christ. We were never promised easy living. There will be tough times. But, if we allow a little rain to keep us from "dancing" we will surely miss out on the blessings and memories! May we live a faith that is not afraid of adversity, and that does not give up.
Go dance in the rain!
