My husband and I had planned to go mountain biking this afternoon. But it was raining. Hard. We dropped our children off at my parents’ house anyway and tried to come up with an alternate plan. Nothing.

And then, a stroke of pure brilliance.

“Let’s go hiking. In the rain. We have waterproof jackets and waterproof boots. Why let the rain stop us? We can even pack a picnic to eat in the car afterwards.”

Honestly, I didn’t feel like doing much of anything. I was tired and not feeling well. But I wanted to push through. My husband and I needed a fun afternoon.

A little while later, we found ourselves scrambling up the Hamilton escarpment in our rain gear. Mist curled around the trees and the slippery, moss-covered rocks.

At the top of the hill, a meadow stretched before us. My husband suddenly stopped and grabbed my arm. There in the field, shrouded in fog, were four white-tailed deer.

We watched them for some time, hardly daring to move. They were beautiful. Everything was beautiful. The pitter-patter of rain on the leaves overhead. The spacious vale in front of us. The vivid colours of the undergrowth in the valley behind us.

We followed the trail into the forest. A waterfall splashed down the side of the mountain. It was raining harder now and the mist was thickening. I was dizzy and struggling a little. My husband held me for a few minutes while I caught my breath. Then, arm in arm, we continued our walk.

We stopped to look at some holes that a woodpecker had bored into a tree stump. We found ferns nestled in a bed of moss under a rocky outcropping. We saw the flash of a chipmunk as it scurried behind a tree.

We soaked in the beauty like the ground soaked in the rain.

We were only gone about an hour with frequent breaks along the way, but it was worth it. Every second. We both agreed that this was the best date that we have ever been on.

So often, we let the rain stop us. I’m not just talking about the physical rain. I’m talking about seasons of life. We see only the limitations of our present situation and forget the beauty that lies within.

I came across a song the other day that spoke deeply to my heart. The chorus says, “What if Your blessings come through raindrops?”

What if?

Today, mine did.

Give it a listen.