This week I was out on a shoot and it started to rain.? I took a calculated risk by going through with the shoot because I knew it was a possibility but didn’t think it was really going to happen.? Sure enough.?? It did.? On the way home from that shoot, I was thinking about storms and the way the light shines through.? While not a big fan of dark overcast days for photography, there is something to be said for the kind of light that exists when the clouds break and you get those sweet rays that just have a glow about them.? The shoot had its challenges.? At one point, we were all huddled under a tent (conviently placed for a local vendor) trying to dry off my little subject.?? During many of my shots, Tanner was standing over my back holding up an umbrella to shield my camera.?? At the end of the day, it all worked out and I loved what we managed to capture. ? It got me thinking though.? How many days of my past have I so fretted over storms that I could not find the light?? Convinced that the storms were coming to destroy and to take and to ruin.??Standing under the dark cloud crying bitter tears at what could or would be washed away.? ? This week when the rain started coming down at inopportune times, I reminded myself once again that crisis jumpstarts a dead imagination.? I gathered my wits and looked for my opportunities.? I didn’t panic and I didn’t “cry” over what would not be.? I embraced what was.?? ? I am not “there” yet folks but Jesus is gently leading me to such a different place than I have ever been before.? The kind of place where I can stand out in the rain and smile and say “what next Lord”?? And then I get to grin in delight as those sweet rays of light peek behind the clouds and I get to say “I knew you were there – hello!”?? ? My Abba does love me way too much to “give me lesser things”.? Never a moment when He isn’t on the throne.? As I learn to believe, really believe, transforming belief that uproots all that I am and makes me someone brand new, I see His blessings coming down – even and especially those that come in raindrops.?? He is my hope.<\/p>\n
We pray for blessings
\nWe pray for peace
\nComfort for family, protection while we sleep
\nWe pray for healing, for prosperity
\nWe pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering
\nAll the while, You hear each spoken need
\nYet love us way too much to give us lesser things<\/p>\n?Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
\nWhat if Your healing comes through tears
\nWhat if a thousand sleepless nights
\nAre what it takes to know You?re near
\nWhat if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise<\/p>\nWe pray for wisdom
\nYour voice to hear
\nAnd we cry in anger when we cannot feel You near
\nWe doubt Your goodness, we doubt Your love
\nAs if every promise from Your Word is not enough
\nAll the while, You hear each desperate plea
\nAnd long that we’d have faith to believe<\/p>\n?Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
\nWhat if Your healing comes through tears
\nWhat if a thousand sleepless nights
\nAre what it takes to know You?re near
\nAnd what if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise<\/p>\nWhen friends betray us
\nWhen darkness seems to win
\nWe know the pain reminds this heart
\nThat this is not, this is not our home,
\nIt’s not our home<\/p>\n?Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops
\nWhat if Your healing comes through tears
\nAnd what if a thousand sleepless nights
\nAre what it takes to know You?re near
\nWhat if my greatest disappointments
\nOr the aching of this life
\nIs the revealing of a greater thirst this world can?t satisfy
\nAnd what if trials of this life
\nThe rain, the storms, the hardest nights
\nAre your mercies in disguise<\/p>\nhttpv:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=1CSVqHcdhXQ<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This week I was out on a shoot and it started to rain.? I took a calculated risk by going through with the shoot because I knew it was a possibility but didn’t think it was really going to happen.? Sure enough.?? It did.? On the way home from that shoot, I was thinking about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mamas-diaries"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimanddoni.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimanddoni.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimanddoni.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimanddoni.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimanddoni.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3502"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/jimanddoni.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3508,"href":"https:\/\/jimanddoni.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3502\/revisions\/3508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jimanddoni.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimanddoni.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jimanddoni.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}