Rain. 

The very word makes me smile. 

Don't ask me why; it just does. 

Maybe it's because with rain comes rejuvenation. 

Refreshment. 

Hope. 

Without rain, without fresh water, life is impossible.

Even now as I write this I can hear the rain falling softly on the roof outside, drumming gently on the panels and hopefully soaking into the dry earth. And something inside of me wells up and makes me feel... Full. Full of hope. Life. Peace. And in a way, hopeful anticipation for what tomorrow brings. 

When you live in an area where you get very little to no rain for most of the Summer months, you learn to appreciate it when you are lucky enough to have it. 

I cannot imagine what life would be like outside of my little town in the mountains of Colorado. Yes it's dry, but we still have some moisture from the Winter snow and Spring rains that can get us through the dry Summer until the rain returns in the Fall. I can't imagine living in a dessert, not seeing any rain for months, even years at a time. I don't think that I would like it. 

There is just something so wonderfully fulfilling and special to me when I sit outside on my porch with a cup of chai in my hands as the rain pours around me, running through the gutters and splashing off the leaves on the trees and the flowers and washing everything clean. Washing all of the dirt and grime completely away. 

And then,  something even more beautiful happens. 

The rainbow. 

The promise. 

For me, the rainbow means more than just a reminder that God will never flood the earth again. God promised that He would never leave or forsake me. That He would always be there even if I felt alone. His promise to me was that He will always take care of me and hear my prayers and call me His child. 

His beloved. 

I can't fathom a God like that. 

A God who promises to love us and take care of us unconditionally. 

A God that promises us that we will never be alone.

A God that fights our battles and carries us through our heartache and who puts all of our broken pieces back together, even when we were sure that we would never be okay. 

I can't fathom that kind of love.

And the promise that I mentioned earlier? 

That promise isn't just meant for me. 

That promise is meant for you, too.