Rain

“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!”  - 1 Corinthians 10:12

Last Thursday evening, a group of us heading down to Grafton, WV, stopped for a bite to eat at a rather infamous mom and pop café not far inside West Virginia.  When we arrived, it was raining, not just cats and dogs, but fat cats and fat dogs.  The 25 foot walk from the vehicle to the café door was enough to thoroughly soak you.  And I – we - got drenched.

We sat down at our customary table, hoping that the wait for the food and the subsequent meal would afford some time to dry out; indeed for the most part that was the case.  But….

About halfway through the meal a leak sprung in the roof, water made its way down through the ceiling, and low and behold a small waterfall developed directly onto our table.   Suffice to say we were a bit surprised, and we looked around to find the waitress and considered what table we should move to.  When the server saw what had developed, she reached under a counter, and pulled out a large plastic container and placed it on the table to catch the falling liquid.  Then she shrugged and said something to effect of, “That’s just the way things are here.”

Indeed our waterfall was but one of several in the café; although I would argue ours was more picturesque. And so we continued with our meals….  

Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians cautions us about sin and pride.  Some sin is obvious – it drenches us like getting caught in a rainstorm and we hurry to flee from the results.  That is good.  But sometimes sin just moseys its way into our lives like a frequent dripping pattern.  We can all too easily get used to and even comfortable with it.  All we need is the large plastic container to contain the sin.  And shrug our shoulders and say, “Oh that’s just the way things are here.”

“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!”  Sometimes the rain is hard to judge….

P.S.  We will be back at that same café tomorrow night.  I’m praying it doesn’t rain….