"Rain Falls on the Just and Unjust"

Good Morning from my Mourning Chair. When I got up an hour ago, it looked like rain. Now it is sunny. We need the rain, we need it desperately for reasons I will explain below.

Today, we will be disappointed if it doesn’t rain; on other days, we are unhappy about the rain. People are so fickle.

Substack Hint

But before we get into today’s topic, I have a Substack hint for you. A new subscriber mentioned she was going to comment on my post, but it appeared she would have to pay to do so. I let her know this is not so; just create a Substack login. No money necessary. Creating a login also opens you up to a whole world of other Substack writers, from fascinating, to informative, to not your cup of tea.

Rain on All

Wildfires are raging in the northern part of Minnesota, destroying our beautiful forests and people’s homes. We pray for rain.

Photo by Landon Parenteau on Unsplash

Jesus said, “…the rain falls on the just and the unjust,” Matthew 5:45. This is also referred to as the righteous and the unrighteous in some translations.

At this moment, I don’t think we much care if the people on the ground are righteous or unrighteous; we just desperately need rain to quench the fires.

While we need to be cautious in interpreting the Bible literally, this is one sentence that can be interpreted literally. The rain’s going to come, whether we like it or not, and it will rain on every single one of us.

In addition, Jesus meant this figuratively. This verse should be considered in context, as it is part of the Sermon on the Mount. Numerous sermons, videos, and explanations of this passage can be found. I won’t delve too deeply into all that today, maybe I’ll wax more eloquent another day.

But for now, suffice it to say, rain is the common experience of humanity - the good and bad of rain, to the best and worst of us.

Joy and Pain

We all have days of joy — even the worst criminal. The bank robbery was a success - yay!

The righteous also have good days: a wedding, a birth, a beautiful day in nature.

But how quickly joy can change to sorrow, just like the sunny day can change to a rainy day. The bank robber gets caught, the marriage turns from joy to sadness.

That’s just the way it is, friends. We will all enjoy the good on this earth, and we all suffer. No one can explain the ways of God, although many try.

Pray for Rain

Today, we pray for rain in Minnesota and other areas where fires burn. Literally and figuratively.

This old hymn., “Showers of Blessing” reminds me of my grandparents; whatever happened, when we did what was right or wrong, they enveloped us in unconditional love and hope. Just like God.

Enjoy this little clip - and this cute redhead!