It's Raining. It's Pouring.

It has been raining for several days in my part of the country. I mean relentless, continual rain! Anyone who cares for little children can learn pretty early on to dread rainy days. Rain means it will be an "inside day."

I'm not a big fan of allowing children to be entertained by hours of television. Even good children's programming can be overdone. But I do take advantage of one or two rainy days in a row by working puzzles with the children, coloring, playing with playdough and yes, getting caught up on the new episodes of Dora, Diego, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and several other favorite programs.

By the third and fourth days, though, everybody is bored. Even a two year old can only tolerate watching the same episode of Dora the Explorer so many times before he loses interest. Those days can be troublesome if I don't have something up my sleeve to entertain everyone.

Follow the leader, making music with household items, doing stickers, pulling out a new puzzle or a new book is a must! The children look to me and rely upon me to keep them from acting up and acting out from boredom and lack of outside play and sunlight.

I get restless like this when I haven't spent enough quality time with God. Even if I do devote some time to prayer and reflection and lean on familiar scripture for encouragement or guidance, sometimes it just doesn't seem to be enough.

When I start getting anxious, allow worry to overtake me I know the "routine" isn't working. When I begin to snap at my husband and be short-tempered in traffic and impatient in the check out line at the grocery store, I begin to resemble a two-year old on the third "inside day" in a row!

Those are the times I need to do more than the routine. That is when I need to open my bible and delve into its wisdom and beauty. I need to turn to God's word to get me back on track. I need to ask God to lead me to a new understanding of the scripture to which He leads me.

I can't control how many rainy days God allows. But I can control my attitude. Just as the children turned to me for guidance and help staying on the right path, I turn to God for His strength and wisdom.

"To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his" (Job 12:13 NIV).

Different is . . Well . . . Different

Big sister is 4 years old. She is exceptionally bright and some of the things she comes up with just make me shake my head and chuckle.

Some of the comments she makes on a regular basis:

"Looks like we're driving in The United States of America." - as we pass by a very large flag on a very high flag pole.

"There are the 'school people'." - as we pass by the students waiting at the bus stop for the school bus.

I especially like the way she tries to explain things to her brothers. Her tone of voice become very sing-songy and pleaseant and she is very serious - not even realizing that not only to do the boys not care in the least, they can't even understand what she's talking about!

All the children who live in the neighborhood are "my friends" and the students in her preschool class are "my children."

She views and experiences the world from a 4-year old perspective. Everything revolves around her (as it does for most 4 year olds, and honestly, most people!) To deal with life in the world, everything must be placed in a category and defined in very limited and specific terms.

Honestly, this is how many Christians experience their faith. Their beliefs are narrow and limited to their own personal experiences. For some, anyone who looks different, acts different, lives different is . . . well . . . different and so not like them. When you're 4 years old different isn't good. Different is challenging and troubling. So different isn't good.

When we limit our faith to what we ourselves can see and think and feel, we are really limiting God. When we don't seek the knowledge and wisdom of others who have more scriptural insight and knowledge, we limit the power of God's inspired word. When we judge others out of ignorance and fear, we limit the strength and depth and breadth of the love Christ died to show us. When we limit God, we miss out on His grace and we miss out on the opportunity to extend that grace to others.

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. (1 Corinthians 13:11 NIV)

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. (1 John 3:7 NIV)

Rejoining The Divine Conversation

This evening I "babysat" for the children I nanny for during the week so mom and dad could go out to dinner alone. I've done this before, but it has been a while. It was odd to show up as the children were eating dinner versus breakfast.

As the mom and dad were leaving they told big sister to 'help Mary.' She nodded, looked at me and asked, "Do you know which bed the boys sleep in?" The adults all chuckled a little because I've been caring for the children for almost 2 years and they have been in their current house (with current sleeping arrangements) for a little less than 2 years. Her mom suggested she may want to help me figure out the toothbrushes at bedtime and she was pleased to have that responsibility.

Sister was disoriented because they most often have a "real" babysitter on the rare weekend evenings her mom and dad go out. The babysitters might not know which bed belonged to which boy (except for the fact that they now have their names hanging over their beds). Mary comes during the day and knows how everything works in the day time (and even has the same rules as mom) but not at night. All of her points of reference were out of whack.

Mine get out of whack sometimes too. If I have not been intentional about my prayer life and/or I don't make a point to spend time in bible study I can get off track as well. It's so easy to get out of those habits if we miss one opportunity. The next time, it becomes a little less pressing, then before long, we realize it's been days (weeks? ) since we spent time with God.

When we realize that, we usually also realize why our life has been so out of sync. Fortunately, God welcomes us back into the divine conversation with gladness and rejoicing.

Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. [Joshua 1:7 NIV]

Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. [Proverbs 4:26-27 NIV]

Relying Upon a Firm Foundation

The other day the children's mom told me that the boys had made quite a mess in their room. Apparently they had opened their two bottom dresser drawers and emptied them of all their contents. Clothes were everywhere on the floor and it was obvious the boys had enjoyed flinging the clothes as far as they could.

Their mom told me that when she walked into the room and saw the mess she started fussing at them and told them they were going to have to help her "clean up this big mess." To which they responded by breaking into the song I taught them early on, "Clean Up, Clean Up . . ." I hope it provided a moment of comic relief for her! It's very hard work being a mom to three toddlers and she works very hard at being a good mom.

This morning I told the boys we needed to clean up the blocks they were playing with and they again began to sing that same song--that's what reminded me of the antecdote their mom shared with me.

I hope I have taught them even more important lessons than cleaning up our own messes. I hope I have at least reinforced the lessons and guidance their very diligent parents are working to instill in them. Sister already initiates conversations about God and Jesus and tries to make sense of it all. She has a good faith foundation that I know her brothers will have as well.

For my life, I cling to scripture for the "way I should go." It's so important to rely upon the foundation of my knowledge of the Bible, gleaned from personal study, bible study and Sunday school classes and other readings. Without that foundation, I don't know how I would even function in the world with all it's competing messages and enticements.

It's so important to lay a good foundation for our lives so that when the storms come, we know where to go to find shelter. I'm happy the boys remembered the song and don't think of cleaning up after themselves as an unpleasant chore, but rather as a part of life, and as just "what you do."

I hope I can be as cheerful the next time I'm called upon to do something others might consider tedious or unpleasant.

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. [Proverbs 22:6 NKJ]