Mercies in Disguise

In order to have a beautiful, flourishing garden, there must not only be sunshine, but rain.  We look at the flowers and appreciate their beauty without thinking about the weeding, the hard work, or the rain. Yet they are crucial.

Life is like that, with good times and bad times, sadness and joy.  
To everything there is a season....

There is a song called "Blessings" by Laura Story that touched me again recently. I'd heard it before but needed the reminder. She speaks of our prayers; for peace, for protection, for wisdom, and to ease suffering, but then asks questions, questions that struck a nerve with me.   

What if your blessings come through raindrops
What if Your healing comes through tears
What if a thousand sleepless nights 

are what it takes to know You're near
What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise

 "What if?" In my experience, there have been many blessings that were the results of raindrops, or the storms of life. As I've lived through these hard times, my faith was strengthened.  If I had not had these trials, would my faith have had the chances to grow? Would I have learned to appreciate all the blessings?

Yes, sometimes healing comes through tears, especially when it is after we release our own control and allow God to take it. It is after the struggles, after the tears.... after the many, many sleepless nights when we worried and were in despair - yet then realized God is there in the midst. Indeed, would I even be writing at 2 in the morning if not struggling, and seeking to commune with God?

What if the trials, the hardships and worries, are really mercies? What if the things that happen are the best that could be? what if they are the lessons God is using to teach us?

I love this song because I relate to it. She expresses something so well, putting my feelings into words, into a song. Because the words resonated to me, I suspected that she too, had spent nights worrying over the hard times in life.  When I did a little digging, I found out that this song was written after her husband had a brain tumor that almost killed him. She lived through the sleepless nights, probably shedding many tears, and struggled as she watched her husband have to relearn how to do things. His memory and vision are still affected, yet as he gets stronger and recovers, her faith grew stronger as she got closer to God.

There are many specific examples I could use to show you how this song reflects my life.  But it is not necessary, because you have your own memories of such times. If it were not for these times, neither of us would be the person we are now, right? I hope that like me, your struggles brought you closer to God. If not, please seek Him, and allow His touch to heal your heart. I truly appreciate the things I've survived, as they remind me of the mercy God has shown me.  Remembering this reassures me that there's nothing in the future that will be more than I can handle, since I won't be handling it alone.

The raindrops in my life strengthened me and provided me with peace.


"Blessings" lyrics and link to the song