Into Every Life...

"Into every life  a little rain must fall."  After reading a post from Miss Riki at Refreshingly Riki yesterday morning, her weekly "Thankful Thursday" post where she mentions the things for which she is thankful, this phrase came to mind.  One item she mentioned was the rain.  Knowing how wonderful rain can be, having lived in the high desert the past 4 years, I must agree.

After the rains, the desert comes alive: new growth, beautiful flowers, a celebration of life.

Thinking about the phrase, I began to wonder about the origin (as I am wont to do). After a quick Google search, the best source to which I can attribute it is to the Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his poem, "The Rainy Day."


THE day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains,and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the mouldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
  And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains,and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the mouldering past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast,
  And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart, and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
  Some days must be dark and dreary.

A very similar line appears in the second to last line of the final stanza.  Sure, it is somewhat of a dark and dreary poem, but it is truth.  Some days are dark and dreary. Into every life some rain must fall.  But look to the second line of the last stanza, "behind the clouds is the sun still shining."  There is always hope, just waiting to shine forth.

The message behind today's post is short and simple.  Weather the storm.  In every life there will be dark and dreary days, but the sun is still shining behind the clouds.  Sometimes we need the rain in our lives for the new growth to occur.

So, enjoy the rain and expect to blossom when the sun comes out.

Dear Lord, thank You for providing that hope.  You bring rain to the just and the unjust, just as you cause the sun to shine on us.  Thank You for the storms, and for the growth that follows.  Lord help me to weather the storms and blossom into my full potential for You.

P.S. For not really being a poetry guy, I sure seem to reference it a lot.