A Wet Weekend

With camping plans already axed due to Friday night's storms and going against my better judgment, I decided to join some friends in Cades Cove Saturday evening to break in my new bike and spend some time away from Johnson City. I have to say, there's almost nothing more beautiful than the Smokies in springtime. The drive itself, minus the slight detention in the "Mecca of Materialism:Pigeon Forge" was a continual display of new spring life and colors around every bend of curvy Wears Valley Road. When I arrived at the Cove, my friends were just finishing dinner, and the weather was a balmy 50 degrees. The ride started out nicely with an expansive view of the mountains surrounding the valley and an abundance of wildlife: deer and turkey. However, just as we reached the halfway mark of the loop, it started to rain and rain and rain. Fortunately, it was limited to a fine drizzle for the majority of the ride and we stumbled upon an old log house for shelter when the drizzle changed to a steady rain. By the end of the ride, our bikes and ourselves were soaked upon our return, but the adventure was well worth it.
After worship on Sunday at Laurel, I drove back to Johnson City only to be greeted by another wet surprise: my water heater had sprung a leak and was determined to turn my laundry room into Johnson City's newest indoor swimming pool. Thank goodness for emergency maintenance service.
Then there's the wetness of my runny nose as I've had to miss the last two days of med. school due to a sinus infection. "Wet" seems to be a pervading characteristic of my life these past few days. Even as I was eating breakfast this morning, I was greeted by April's HTI calendar's picture of an old Quiche man taking cover under a plastic poncho during the seasonal afternoon rains of Guatemala. I remember those rains: how we all despised our daily drenching until one day it didn't rain and we had to suffer from the heat until the next afternoon.
Though I've been snuggled under my covers and sick, I'm thankful that I've been given two rainy days, so to speak, days where I can just sit and think. I've actually had time to catch up on my Daily Bible reading, to journey with Paul through his letters to the Thessalonians and Corinthians, to be reminded of the joy that comes from sharing in the suffering on the Cross, and to be reminded that my purpose is not motivated by a fear of Hell, rather; by a love for the One who conquered it. I've had time to think about how this time last year I was about to polish off an undergraduate degree, and how a year later, I'm still wet behind the ears in the study of medicine. I've had time to think about how many storms I've faced this past year, how many streams crossed, and how every time God has protected me and provided me a way through them.
I suppose tomorrow the sun will shine brightly and clearly display how far behind I am in my studies and how much I still have to accomplish over the next month to finish my first year of medical school. For now, it's back to bed to sleep and rid myself of these sinus sniffles!