A furious line of thunderstorms pounded our area this week. Windows left open meant the carpet was as soaked as the lawn. Rained-out soccer games provided a bit of unexpected free time—which, for me, means time to garden.

Between newly planted tomatoes and basil, plenty of weeds were flourishing. Rain encourages growth—of everything. But the rain had done to the ground what a pulsating shower does to sore muscles—loosened and relaxed it. The earth, soft and moist, can't cling as tightly to the weeds, so the best time to pull them is after a storm. I gently uprooted many varieties of offending plants, was able to pull up much more of the root than I would have if the ground were hard and dry. And removing the root is the key to effective weeding.

So often, we forget the blessing of rain. We "save up for a rainy day," but admonish naysayers by telling them, "Don't rain on my parade." In the Bible, rain is seen not as a curse, but as a blessing. That's because the Bible was ...