Raining...again

It's raining again. It has rained everyday this week, and almost everyday for the past two weeks. This whole summer so far has been cold and wet. In fact, I hesitate to even call it summer. We are into August already and it has yet to get hot for more than a few hours in a row! For those of us who live in a place where snow covers the ground for a good part of the year, and then another few months are taken up by it getting cold, or slowly warming up from the cold, the three month of June, July and August are essential. We cling to the thought of them, and when they get here we really make the most of them. The same goes for our church and for our ministry in the community. The summer is when people are out and about, awake from the long winter hibernation. The summer months are a key time to connect with our community and so we go out to events and host some of our own. We cram as much as we can into those months and really make the most of them...except for this year. All the rain really puts a damper on things.
I have been reading the book of Acts in my reading plan for the last little while and have just finished it today. I was struck by the last 8 chapters or so. Go back and read them and you will see how many things seemed to go against Paul and his ministry. What I am struck by, however, is that despite all the things that seem to go wrong, that could so easily be interpreted as impediments to his ministry, Paul sees as opportunities. Despite being arrested, having plots against his life, being shipped around from official to official as they try to figure out what to do with him, being shipwrecked and living under guard he shares or preaches in just about every single chapter! It really is quite amazing.
I suppose that the lesson then, is to see the opportunity in every challenging situation. The rains may steer us away from some of our plans but what could it be steering us towards? What are the possibilities in all the situations in which we find ourselves.