I remember standing on the soccer fields at the Academy late one night. We were there for a meeting one night and having tired of the discussions, a friend and I walked down to the fields. A stray soccer ball was on the sideline and with a few brisk kicks; we began playing a slow and silent game. The grass was wet, the air was damp, and the sky was full of dark clouds. He didn’t care that I kicked like a girl and I didn’t care that he was one of the few that had made it on to the Brazilian soccer team.
You know how the tapping of rain starts ever so slightly? The pitter-patter dances, the tempo increases, and when you least expect it- the sky falls. We were both caught off-guard as the rain began to pour and when I glanced up at him, I saw something that stopped me in my tracks. He was weeping. His arms were outstretched and his eyes were shut tightly as he stood there, in the rain. We finally walked off the field later that night, and he told me of his heart pain. It was as though feeling the actual rain pouring over his face was cleansing emotionally. While standing on that field, he let go of his burdens. And that’s where I find myself tonight.
I’m not naïve enough to think that all of the pain, all of the struggle, and all of the fears will disappear overnight. But I do ache for that cleansing. That moment when I know absolutely, without a doubt, that everything is right again with Him. I am standing on the field. Waiting for the rain.
