Can you claim it?

I sing it to my youngest every night, "...yes Jesus loves you yes Jesus loves you, the bible tells me so." And sometimes he sings along but he doesn't say 'you' he sings, "yes Jesus loves me." It caught me by surprise to hear him singing me when i was singing you. Normally, he is listening and copying everything he hears and sees. But in just 22 months of life on this earth he is claiming it as his own.  My heart was comforted. Afterall, It is a song being sung just to him in the quietness and dimness of his lil bedroom with truth pouring over Him. But tonight as I heard him sing me I followed suit. Because today I realized I needed to claim it for me too. To let the stresses of the day wash away, to allow God's great love for me sink in deeper...and I tried to allow his little toddler hand comfort me as it wrapped around my neck. The faith of a child is innocent and contagious! So tonight as I lie in bed to go to sleep I am asking God to treat me as His child and rejoice over me with singing not because I deserve it but because He longs to be gracious to me and Jesus loves me this I know for the bible tells me so! 

Zephaniah 3:17 He will quiet you with His love; he will rejoice over you with singing. 

When the Rain Boots Hold a River

 

"Mom, there is a river in my boots," Miracle said with a great big grin and giggle. The joy of the running water and the splashes overflowing into the boots was just enough to remove the gloom of the weather. My hair wasn't combed that day and yesterday's braid was still in my hair just pulled back with a different ponytail to pull back all the hair that had fallen from the loose braid. It was a 'roast belongs in the crockpot' type of day. But joy spreads rapidly when the rain boots hold a river. I was smiling. Spectators slowed down as they drove by, honking, and waving, with a face that spoke, "I want to be doing that today!" All in agreement of the unmentioned thoughts: "let's play in this all day...pray the puddle doesn't dry up. ever." The rain is unwanted at this point but this puddle...more than a blessing. It was creating a new forever memory and more that day. Reminds me of what God's love can do; create a river in my boots that I just want to continue to swim in. The splashes change my hairstyle and my face drips as if it's raining again. Life can feel so full of blessing that they just kept running and jumping and splashing. Then it was time to pull the boots off and dump the water off and capture the river. The suction was so strong they giggled and fell over and laid down trying with all their might to take their boots off.

 

 

And that is just how it is with God's love. Suctioned to our souls. our hearts. our minds. We can choose to be frustrated and want to change our soaking wet dirt specked socks lives. Or we can just roll and giggle and love the river that's flowing and moving around inside that will. not. come. out.

 

2 Thessalonians 3:5

"May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance."

 

There is so much that happens in the blink of an eye...the puddle dries and they are BIG and God's love never ends. Amen