Psalm 51 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with a willing spirit.
My four barefoot children raced toward a large puddle in our driveway like lead shavings drawn to a magnet. Then for over an hour they pranced back and forth through the muddy water. Dancing and singing, laughing and gesturing, they delighted in their soggy merriment.
Imagination reigned supreme. Here, all other earthly realities faded into the background. Joy scribbled its delight across muddy faces with a whimsy that left me staring in awe at this exhibition of raw delight.
Flashes of lightening and rolling thunder in the night sometimes awoke or frightened the youngest in the house, but the downpours in the daytime with explosive claps of thunder, found a fan club who lined up to stare out the fogged up windows in wonder.
Partly, the unleashing of this unearthly booming and cracks of light awed them. Also, I think they each anticipated the fun that followed a big storm. When the showers stopped, four little heads would look over at me and before they could ask, I would grin and give them the go ahead. Quickly they peeled off their clean play clothes in exchange for the old stained underwear saved for stomping through the mud.
Over the years, one spot in our rural driveway kept wearing away. Our cars drove in and out, until this place expanded and increased in depth. It got so bad that my husband just maneuvered around to miss it altogether, as he pulled in and out each day. This hole took up almost half of one side of the caliche drive. We filled it in once, but the rains came and with wear this deep trough appeared again.
Watching them at play once, I remember thinking that this was one repair I would not hastily add to our "to do list". Watching this rain dance was too precious now and in a few years they would outgrow this stage.
Today, thirty years later, I dally among these memories while a steady rain pounds on my roof. I reminisce and get lost as I remember their abandon and bliss. A spirit of glee stirs and still yearns to flow through me. Even after maturing and learning the conventions of society; a desire rises up to abandon the cloak of a responsible adult in exchange for a simpler frock.
Just as I delight in the carefree moments of my children, my Heavenly Father charges me to liberate myself from worldly concerns. God sent his son, Jesus, to redeem me from the guilt and the penalty of sin. He also filled me with the Holy Spirit so that his hope, love, and strength would carry me above my daily trials.
This frees me to join in the dance. I live with an expectancy for each new day. With eyes opened wide like the eyes of a curious toddler, I expect to see God's goodness in the storms. I know that nothing can separate me from receiving what he has coming my way.
Then my dripping children balanced and followed the trail of towels I laid from the back door to the bathroom. Our soapy tub transformed my dirty offspring one by one from mud varmints to cherubs.
Later, they all piled into the kitchen for a snack. The adventure was over, but the pilot light was still lit in each one of them; waiting for the next wet episode.
I am thankful God does not extinguish this little fire inside any of any of us. This exuberance from God keeps us reaching for the dreams that are just around the corner, not impossible, but within our reach; even on the rainy days.
The second picture is a picture of exuberance that I borrowed from my daughter-in-law, Naomy. Pictured are my two grandsons Alan and Mateo on the right running carefree with their cousins.
