The Make-up of a Good Monsoon

In Arizona, a hot June makes for a great monsoon.

The year 2023 has been a different kind of year for those of us in Southern Arizona. The month of June was hot, but not blistering hot. Early morning air caressed my cheeks with a cool touch and I opened windows to hoard as much of the coolness as I could before closing up around ten. And stepping outside was not so bad, especially if I stayed under the shade of a solar panel or mesquite tree. Locals loved it. After all, 110 degrees in the shade is not comfortable or fun!

But it’s not normal. And abnormal is not good in the long term.

Arizona’s rainy season, called the monsoons, happen between the months of July and September. In order to have a good rainy season, we need those blistering days of early summer. The heat buildup warms the land. The warmer land temperatures cause the winds to shift, bringing the moisture of the Pacific Ocean, particularly the Baja Peninsula, over the Sonoran Desert.

We need the rain.

We need the heat that triggers the monsoon season. So, we endure the temporary discomfort of the heat because we know it will bring the greater blessing of the rain.

The role of heat in developing the monsoons reminds me of these words:

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”

2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV

None of us like discomfort and inconvenience. Whether it’s a hot summer day, a dawdling child or the slow shuffle of an elderly parent, a relational tangle, or a topsy turvy day that tries our patience, we don’t like messy moments.

Maybe the inconvenience is more in the form of a heartache or longing—life going a different direction than we expected. Years of singleness, chronic illness, or infertility. Unresolvable work or family issues. We don’t like it and we feel helpless to change it.

Those things we consider uncomfortable or painful are achieving God’s long-term purposes for us. The greater gain of His Kingdom good will be worth the small and temporary pain. When we focus on God’s eternal value system, we’ll find we can endure the uncomfortable, because we know it’s temporary and inferior to the splendid glory God has planned for us.

What heat-infused situation do you face?

Consider this. What difference will the discomfort you currently face make five years from now or, better yet, in the scheme of eternity.? This temporary moment will pass. The never-ending pain will be swept aside come time for Heaven. God will bring His refreshing monsoon like rains that will cleanse all humanity of the grime of sin for once and for all. And even on this earth, God might be using the chaos of your current moment as a setup for something wonderful that He has planned for you.

Until the rains of His redemption come, ask God to show you Himself in this moment. While you might prefer life to be another way, what gifts might God have waiting for you that are embedded within the unpleasant or unplanned? Ask Him to give you endurance so you can hold out for His something better. He’s good at that. He’s good at turning what we call messy moments into His masterpieces of grace for our good and His glory.

You can face the difficulties of today because you know God’s plan for the future is good; in fact, it’s the best!