April showers bring May flowers

I love sunshine (hence the blog title), but currently the view from my window looks particularly wet.

I normally talk about sunshine so lets take a minute to talk about water.

It is often said that "April showers bring May flowers." Our lovely elementary school teachers taught us this when we were small with art projects and coloring pages, but the reality of it is ever prevalent in our later years. I'm not speaking literally, but metaphorically.

When the rain falls down we get soaked. We are quite possibly miserable and often cold. The rain is uncomfortable to stand in and most of us would say that we prefer the sunshine, but when May comes around and the flowers are popping up all over the place we realize that the moisture wasn't there to hurt us, but to bring new life.

This is the same concept when applied to forgiveness.

I had an experience this week that made me reflect on this idea of forgiveness. Someone I know said something to me that didn't particularly sit well, but I was offended yes, but I blew things out of proportion. Was this right of me? Absolutely not. In the end this person apologized and I am happy to say that I honestly forgave them. I don't mean I merely said "sorry" and moved on, but that I truly wanted their guilt to go away for what they did. I changed after that and I honestly believe that this person did too. I became a more accepting and loving person.

I believe that this idea this "April showers bring May showers" is exactly how forgiveness works. It may seem uncomfortable, and we may not like it, but if we truthfully endure the storm and either ask for forgiveness or make an effort to forgive, that beautiful things will come out of it. We will be made new.




I also believe that this is exactly how Christ feels when we ask for forgiveness from him. He wants to forgive us for our sins and he also wants to take away our pain. He wants it so desperately, but we must ask in order for him to do so.

Let us all take make an extra effort to be a little more forgiving.



feel my sunlight



p.s. Whose excited for Conference next weekend??? I AM! What are your conference traditions? Any I should add to my agenda?
p.s.s. Yes, I do realize it isn't quite April, but "March showers bring May flowers" was never on any coloring pages when I was a kid so we are just going to go with it.