Come Rain or Shine

Whilst I was looking through some papers written by my father (who died many years ago) I found this little thought which he had entitled ‘S.O.S No 3’. I felt it had relevance to all of us today and so I share it with you.

“A well known firm of umbrella makers used to advertise their wares with the slogan ‘Sunshine or Showers’, meaning that their umbrellas were equally effective as a shelter from the rain or from the dangers of sunstroke. Some of us from early days have grown up with popular choruses like ‘I am H.A.P.P.Y’ or ‘if you want joy, real joy, wonderful joy, let Jesus come into your heart’. This very easily gives us the picture of the Christian life as a life of perpetual happiness and sunshine.

Then we find that as Christians we are not exempt from the troubles and tragedies other people have to face – illnesses, financial problems, being let down by those we have loved, misfortunes, even death. We find that in addition there are troubles, sometimes great ones, that come to you just because we are Christians. So we grow discouraged and despondent and lose faith.

If only we had realised that the Christian faith is for ‘sunshine and shower’, joy or sorrow, ease or pain, light and darkness and Jesus is with us all through and able to meet every need. Indeed, if we have the faith and patience to wait, some of life’s greatest blessings come through its darkest tragedies. We need to trust where we cannot see, as Job did.

To learn this is to make life’s troubles bearable and more (Romans 5:3-4) and to make its joys more joyful, because they are not shadowed by doubts or fears or vain regrets.

The secret all through is to put your trust simply in Jesus, who is Saviour and Lord both in the brilliant sunshine and in the darkness of human despair. The darkness and light are both alike to Him and He is with us through it all. When we are most helpless and defenceless, then we can most surely trust Him in ‘Sunshine and Showers’.”