‘Good New England Weather’
Near my residence resides an elegant courtyard that often hosts outdoor weddings. The tree canopy, manicured flower gardens, brick walkways, and adjoining stately buildings provide a regal venue for the sharing of marriage vows. This past Saturday evening, I noted the tell-tale sign of a wedding: a large, celebratory crowd of well-dressed people. And then I tacitly lamented with the wedding party, a chilly rain dripped from the sky. Temperatures hovered in the 40s. Dampness filled the air. A cutting wind rattled the trees. The evening’s conditions are described by me as ‘Good New England Weather.’ (If you cannot enjoy dreary days with cold, blowing rain, then consider moving elsewhere.) I expect when the happy couple scheduled their outdoor wedding for early June, they envisioned a different outcome: clear skies, comfortable temperatures, dry conditions, and a gentle breeze. If the couple has checked with me, I would have reflected on my past observations: “Some weddings have glorious weather, and some weddings, regardless of season, have ‘Good New England Weather.’ You just never know.”
Often in life, we make our plans and expect the proverbial nice weather. If we are faithful to God, we think, then good things will happen to us: financial comfort; peaceful family; and healthy bodies. Despite our faithfulness, though, our lives still experience ‘Good New England Weather.’ How do we respond to such unwanted conditions? Do we get frustrated, lamenting the seeming unfairness of God? Such response, however, belies the biblical text. Our Bibles are filled with people who experienced unwanted circumstances. And most often, those are the circumstances that propelled that person toward great accomplishments.
Let us consider Joseph, Jacob’s favored son. Understandably, his ten older brothers grow weary of his special treatment. They respond by faking his death and selling him into slavery, which results in years of misadventures for Joseph. Through providential relationships and unique abilities, Joseph eventually rises to second-in-power in Egypt. His position allows him to save his family (even those ten older brothers) from an extended famine.
Consider Ruth. As a young woman, she is widowed. In a surprising act, Ruth vows loyalty to her also widowed mother-in-law and relocates to a foreign land. For Ruth, the loss of her husband begins a series of events that eventually leads to her becoming the great-grandmother to the future King David.
Consider Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Manoah’s Wife, Hannah, the Shunammite women, and Elizabeth. Each of them are unable to bear children, and each of them laments their childless existence. But in the course of time, the women became pregnant and gave birth: Isaac, Jacob/Esau, Joseph/Benjamin, Samson, Samuel, a boy raised back to life by Elisha, and John the Baptist. That list of children – save the boy resurrected by Elisha – are pivotal characters in the Biblical narrative.
Consider the missionaries Paul and Silas. They liberate a girl from exploitative men. The local magistrates allow them to be illegally stripped, beaten, and flogged. Afterwards, they are imprisoned, and God seems to offer them a miraculous escape: an earthquake rattles the prison’s doors open. Yet, Paul and Silas unexpectedly remain. These events directly connect to the salvation of the Philippian jailer – his family included.
As we consider these examples, when our life encounters ‘Good New England Weather,’ consider the ways God is using that event, both in the short-term and the long-term. Such moments are often essential to the great work of God. Perhaps we are a vital agent to God’s plan, and our misery brings a vital God-moment to others. Perhaps we are the plan, and God is using our unwanted circumstances to craft us for significant purposes. Whichever it may be, when cold, sideways rain descends upon our lives, we have faith God’s goodness is being revealed – albeit through undesired means.
