Anita Ojeda 
I Can’t Control the Rain
Each evening I take a walk by the gully, around the back of the school property. Sometimes, lightning flashes on the horizon, and rain clouds threaten. After a hard rain, the mud shrivels as it dries, leaving a curled-edge puzzle scattered across the gully flats. The desert sun beats down and dries the clay-like mud that shatters if you toss or step on it.
This year seems different. The monsoons came late and the desert has a crispy edge to it. Plants have stayed dormant from the spring drought and lack of late summer rain. My life feels a little like the desert right now. Dry, but expectant.
I question why I write when my words skitter across cyberspace and shatter silently, impact unknown. My edges feel crispy from self-promotion and trying to figure out things like SEO and platform. I can’t control the impact of my words with so little time to dedicate to their nourishment.
I cling to my dream amidst the quotidian desert of cleaning, cooking, and laundry. My family and my students bring me joy, but I yearn for more. Writing fills the cracks in my days, but I long to have it be my days. If only I had time to focus and grow.
My dreams want to burst forth...out of season. I need to learn to wait for HIS season. #itsallundercontrol #amwriting Click To TweetFinding the Season
The rain has come twice in the past two weeks—drenching downpours that turn the gully into a chute for raging waters. The waters rip clay from earth and carry boulders downstream. On my walk last night, I almost stepped on a tiny flowering bush.
The plant had burst forth with nine gorgeous yellow flowers suspended over scrawny spikes of green. I hunched down to snap a photo before the fading light disappeared. Rain, so destructively powerful, yet so nourishing, can produce miracles overnight.
The verse from Leviticus came to mind. “I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the tress their fruit.” (Leviticus 26:4)
The rain has a season of its own. I don’t (and can’t) control it. Only God decides when the season has arrived. God is in control. This morning, I once again lay my dreams and aspirations at his feet. I plant, he grows. Until my season comes, I learn to wait patiently—taking root and tapping deep. He will direct my path and my roots—I just have to remember to give up control.
(Thank you to my wise friend Jennifer Dukes Lee for writing It’s All Under Control: A Journey of Letting Go, Hanging On, and Finding a Peace You Almost Forgot Was Possible
We can rest in the truth that God is in control. It is interesting to observe the different weather patterns across the nation. July was very dry in Illinois. Upper Michigan has had some torrential rains with the washout of roads. And like you said, there are patterns and seasons in our life. God is control. May he bless your desire for more writing time.
It’s hard isn’t… trying to figure all the small bits, that really aren’t so small…. Time, and energy, and frustration fill those days. Take your moments, enjoy the rain. I speak to myself as well! A fmf neighbour. 🙂
Love this, Anita. He is in control, life’s a road trip. God’s driving, and I’m eating Doritos.
#1 at MF this week.
Anita, this is masterful (as always). Great questions and great writing.
“Dry, but expectant.” Seems to be good soil for God to work. FMF24
Anita, faint not. He’s got this. He’s got you.
i loved this anita:) i think we must be thinking along similar tracks:) so you can’t control the rain? haha. i had to smile at that one.
So glad God is in control!
Love this, Anita. So true.
Oh control….how I know it well. I have a magnet on my refrigerator that says “You can’t control everything. Your hair was put on your head to remind you of that!” And isn’t it so true and difficult, especially for those things we dream of. Your words have spoken to my heart. Thank you for sharing them Anita! Cindy
“Dry but expectant.” I love that. I’ve felt that way for sometime now. Your post is encouraging. Thanks for the reminder of how God works in our lives.
We actually have so much more freedom when we relinquish control instead of trying to hang on. God’s timing is so much better than ours and is always right. Blessings to you, Anita! xo
I really appreciate your beautiful, descriptive words, Anita, reminding us that God brings the rain, and all things, in His time. We don’t have to strive to make things happen. I need that reminder.
Jeannie (#39 in the linkup)
Anita, such a vibrant and beautiful metaphor you have created. “This morning, I once again lay my dreams and aspirations at his feet. I plant, he grows. Until my season comes, I learn to wait patiently—taking root and tapping deep. He will direct my path and my roots—I just have to remember to give up control.” I resonate much with your words here. I feel like I have to fit my dreams into time slots; bits and pieces here and there. Your post is encouraging.