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Don’t you love the way it looks outside after it rains?  It is especially pretty out in the country.  The tree trunks become darker, more defined against the sky.  The moss on their bark brightens up as it soaks in the water.  It all reminds me of those paint with water pictures my children enjoy.  The ones with the faded looking colors that magically brighten with the swipe of a cotton swab dipped in water.

Sometimes our lives also need to be washed with water to bring out our deeper colors.  We may not even realize that our lives are a little faded, until God brings some rain into them.  This washing can come in many forms.  Sometimes it is the tears of grief that flow over our souls, bringing healing to our hearts.  Some days it can simply be the awareness of grace that God showers on us to brighten us and in turn cause us to shower grace on others.  We do not always get to choose how this cleansing will come, but we do know God is always with us even in the rain storms.

Baptism is one of the most beautiful pictures of this washing with water.  Baptism itself does not save us, it is an outward picture of what Jesus has already done in our hearts when we accept Him.  However, whenever we obey a command from Jesus there is a special blessing, a brightening, of our lives just like those paintings my children enjoy.  I just love the picture of being buried with Christ, (going under the water) and being raised to new life with Him, (coming back up out of the water.)

Isn’t that awesome?  Fresh, radiant life in Christ!  We do not have to go through life living faded, boring lives.  We can be washed daily in His grace and live exciting, vibrant lives in Him.

“But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”  I Corinthians 6:11

As we were driving to church on Sunday, my youngest daughter discovered a crayon in her car seat.  Very soon, of course, she broke it in half.  She turned to her big sister and asked her to fix it.  Sister replied, “I don’t know how to fix a broken crayon.”  I immediately started mulling the problem over.  The only way I knew to fix a broken crayon would be to melt it down and re-mold it.

Ah yes God, are you talking to me before we even get to church?  I could see the picture so clearly.  Me, the crayon broken in pieces by someone’s hands who had not been gentle with my heart.  God saying the only way to “fix” it is to go through the fire to melt me down.  I think I remember something about this in the Bible, melting the impurities of sin out of us.  Then the re-molding of my shape, maybe this time into a shape even a little more like Jesus.

I will be a brightly colored new crayon again.  But new crayons don’t just sit in boxes.  They are used to make beautiful pictures.  Small artists drawing them across paper canvas and leaving some of their color behind.  God, I hope that is what you do with me too.  Draw my life across other’s, leaving some of my brightness on the canvas of their lives.

I know this process will go on my whole life.  Drawing and breaking, melting and molding.  I know I am safe in my Father’s hands.  I can come to Him with the broken pieces of my life and He will be gentle.

Sitting in church I smile to myself as the paster reads Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.”  (Italics mine.)  I look around the congregation at us, the new crayons.  Each such a unique color, each adding such brightness to the world.  All of us, if we yield to God’s melting and shaping, ready to make masterpieces for Him.

“See, I have refined you, though not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.”  Isaiah 48:10

Kids and band-aids.  I don’t know what it is about those little strips that make the worst, (or most insignificant) hurts better, but kids love them.  My youngest daughter uses so many band-aids that I have to hide them!  She does everything she can to convince me that the tiny little dot on her knee is worthy of bandaging. If she does find the box, she will quickly make a huge mess of wrappers everywhere and her tiny cut will be covered with multiple band-aids.

As most parents know, for kids it is usually a matter of distraction to make the pain better.  It is easier for them to focus on the band-aid rather than the wound.  As we grow into adults though, band-aids stop being a good cure, at least as far as our hearts are concerned.

I would guess most of us carry some sort of childhood wounds into adulthood.  Part of becoming a healthy adult is working to heal our hurts from the past.  Sometimes those things are so painful though, that we put “band-aids” on them instead of healing them properly.  These band-aids can take the shape of almost anything: work, substance abuse, shopping, eating, trying to control everything, (this is my band-aid of choice) etcetera.

It can be very difficult and scary to peel off a band-aid and really clean out an old wound.  Everyone knows just taking off a band-aid can hurt.  However, when we get to a point where staying where we are is more painful than the work we need to do to get healthy, we are ready.  At this point it is a great idea to enlist the help of a close friend to walk with you as you start to flush out the hurts.  Journaling is also a really great way to sort out the thoughts and feelings as they come up.  I have filled many journals over the years and it is really encouraging to go back and see how far I have come in my journey through life.

Yes, the emotional work can be difficult, but the rewards are worth it. God will be right there with us in the process if we invite Him in.  He will help us to uncover our brokenness so we can be made whole.

Psalm 147:3  “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

I was driving through the Sacramento Valley on a sunny day.  As I drove along though, I saw a large area of shadow in front of me.  I was really surprised because I could not recall seeing any clouds in the sky, and I assumed this must be quite a massive cloud to block out that much sun.  As I reached the other side of the shade I glanced upward and saw only a tiny, little puff of white!  I thought how ironic it was that a small wisp of vapor could block out the light and warmth from something as powerful as the sun.

Thinking about it some more, I realized this is what I do to God!  I’ll be cruising along, enjoying the sunshine of His presence and relationship, when all of a sudden a little puff of a problem comes along and I allow it to instantly block out His light, warmth and power.  Depending on how “big” I perceive the problem to be, I can even find myself in complete darkness.

I wish I could instantly recognize what I am doing, but sometimes I might stumble around in the darkness for quite awhile until I think to call out for help.  The really awesome thing is when I do ask, God sends the wind of his Holy Spirit to blow away my despair and doubt.  Don’t get me wrong, sometimes the problems are real and can take some time to work through, but really, is anything too hard for God?  The issue is more on my side of things, when I forget that God is still there, waiting on the other side of difficulties just like the sun is still shining behind the clouds.  

“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind.  Is anything too hard for me?”  Jeremiah 32:27

“I, Jesus…am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”  Revelation 22:16

“Who put the play-dough in the freezer?!?”  ” I can’t fix your hair until the spit in it dries.”  If anyone without children heard half of the crazy things I have to say all day they would think I should be admitted to the asylum.  Other mothers wouldn’t even blink.  Children do some very interesting things, defying explanation most of the time, but still I will ask, “Why is there a baggy of mud in my refrigerator???”

I wish it were only funny, half-crazy things that came out of my mouth, but unfortunately hurtful things come out too.  This is something I have worked on my whole time as a mother and I hope it is getting better.

When I do mess up I try to use it as an opportunity to talk to my children about how as a human, I will let them down, but how they have a Heavenly Father who will never let them down.  He will never be harsh with them, never impatient.

There is a lot in the Bible about controlling our tongues, and it resonates with me every time I come across one of those verses.  The first half of James chapter three is all about taming the tongue.  Verse ten says, “Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.”  My goal is that far more praise comes out of my mouth when I am speaking to my kids than negativity.  I want to speak encouragement into their lives so they can pursue becoming the people God intends for them to become.

I’m sure I will say many more things such as, “Why did you decorate your little sister with markers?” But I hope I also take the opportunities to say things like, “I love you,” and “I’m proud of you.”

“The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.”  Proverbs 10:11

I cannot believe summer is already over!  I was just settling into a nice laid-back routine of swim lessons, catch-up doctor appointments, shuttling kids from activity to activity, squeezing in a few projects I had put on hold until summer and trying to really clean my house because of course I didn’t get around to that during the school year.  Okay, maybe my summer wasn’t that laid-back.

In any case, the school year is upon us.  For us homeschooling moms that means the annual re-evaluating of our teaching methods for our children:  This will be the year that we finally conquer writing!  Or, this will be the year that we stay on a schedule.  Or, just fill in the blank.  If you are anything like me you never feel like you are doing enough to prepare your children for higher education or the real world.

I have good news, if you are concerned about whether or not you are a good mother, you probably are.  I found more good news in the Bible the other day.  In Isaiah 54:13 it says, “All your sons, (and I’m sure, daughters) will be taught by the Lord, and great will be your children’s peace.”  I was so happy to read that because it reminded me that even though I am to be overseeing my children’s education, the real teaching will come from God.

As we move forward into this more busy season of school, my prayer for all of us would be that we could find space in our days to bring our kids to God in prayer and ask Him to be the one guiding their education.  Whether they are being taught at home or in a public school, He is the one holding them in His hand, we just need to give ourselves lots of grace and trust in that fact.

I Samuel 1:27-28  “I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him.  So now I give him to the Lord.  For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.”