“We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next.” (Romans 5:3-4)
God loves us all so much and He speaks to us in more ways than we can imagine. Just the other day I was driving my son to the part-time job he has at a sheltered workshop for the disabled. The sky was a dark grey. A cold rain was pouring down. The world seemed silent and sad with both people and animals taking shelter from the storm. I turned on the car radio for a little music to lift my spirits. When I did, however, Karen Carpenter’s sweet, haunting voice came out singing “Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.” I turned the radio back off.
That was not the song I wanted to hear on such a gloomy day. Still, the song kept playing in my head as the showers continued throughout the day.
Later that afternoon I was walking out of the bathroom when I saw my son turn the television on. A classic movie was playing and suddenly I heard these musical tones coming from Gene Kelly’s voice: “I’m singing in the rain, just singing in the rain. What a glorious feeling. I’m happy again. I’m laughing at the clouds so dark up above. The sun’s in my heart and I’m ready for love.”
In that moment I saw that God in His loving-kindness had reminded me once again that all of life is a choice, a choice to love. Rains and problems will always come. We can let them get us down or we can choose to sing. We can let the showers soak our souls or we can use them to help our souls to grow. We can allow the darkness to depress us or we can use it to awaken the sunshine and love in our hearts.
What are you going to do when the rains of life fall down upon you? I for one choose to sing. I choose to sing with all the love God has put in my heart. I choose to share my sunshine even on the darkest days and never let my music die within me. May you do the same.
Joseph J. Mazzella