Another cold, rainy day in Raleigh.  Mercy.  The grass is mushy with rainwater, and the skies are leaden and forbidding.  I got up feeling a bit--what else at this time of year?--tired and overwhelmed, and thinking, "Oh brother, another fun day to take a puppy outside 45 times in the cold and wet and mud and muck."  Imagine here a deep and discouraged sigh.
     Eventually it was time to take Bingley to the greenway for his walk...in the cold rain again. But when we got down there, Mr. Bingley promptly sat down and refused to move.  He looked at me with a quizzical expression as if to say, "Have you lost your bloomin' mind?  Do you see how yucky and cold and wet it is out here?  Why on earth did we leave a perfectly warm, dry kitchen with lots of dog toys to come out here in this mess?"  In case you're doubting me, behold--

     Clearly, dogs have more sense than humans.
     But we soldiered on, and Bingley ended up having a big old time out there in the muck and mire.  Me? Not so much.
     Well, maybe not at first...until it hit me.  This is exactly the kind of world into which the King of Glory entered.  He left the infinite joys of heaven to come outside into our rainy, broken, messy world.  And He entered not by way of a perfect palace or even a comfortable, well-equipped home.  No, He came into the muck and mire of a dirty manger in a smelly stable.  No comforts of home there. But there was worse to come...
      Far, far worse: He came and entered into the stench of our sin.  The dirt of our pride.  The mess of our ingratitude.  The ugliness of our hatred and jealousy and gossip and greed.
     He left the comforts of His perfect home to come to our most imperfect planet...and then He chose to stay...and take all that mess and mud and muck upon Himself.  All so that one day, we could return with Him to our glorious, eternal, wondrous home in heaven.
     How can I complain about the rain and mess outside--that's how He came!  That's why He came!  That's what He bore for us on the cross!  And all for where He can now one glorious day take His beloved children for all of eternity.  And there'll be no more rain or death or tears or loss or failure or separation.  Ever.
     So Bingley and I say, let it rain...for let it be a reminder of the One who entered our broken, muddy, messed up world to bring redemption and restoration and joyful, eternal LIFE forever.
    To God--who left His Home to come out into the rain and mess of ours--be all the glory.