Longing for Rain

The drought makes my heart hurt.  I'm too tied to the land to not ache when the heat and lack of rain hardens and destroys crops and grass.  

I hurt for the farmers and the ranchers who pin their hopes on the rain.  For those men and women making the tough decisions right now in deciding what to cull and sell.  How do they keep their pride and joy and livelihood upright and healthy during times of heat stress and dwindling grass and water?  The decisions facing these folks is heart wrenching.  My prayers go to my sisters' families and to my friends.

In my own little herd, I see the effects.  Our hay bales have doubled in price since bringing the horses here.  They spend their day huddled in the barn escaping the sun and fighting flies.   Tough decisions need to be made.

This summer has driven me to rethink my yard and I'm excited to do some hardscaping and implement some new plans to make it more efficient and use less water for more produce.  It makes me think of all that I take for granted.

Even those far removed from agriculture are effected by drought.  Prices go up as supplies go down.  It is time to rethink priorities.  

It seems like when I'm going through dry times in my life; either physically or spiritually it forces to the surface those flaws and stresses.  The waste and overuse becomes immediately apparent.  Neglected areas of my life and environment scream for immediate attention.

Lord, I'm longing for rain.  For our dry fields and rivers and lakes and for our dry souls and hearts.

Please send your rain!