Resource Reviews

Wind in Your Face

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There was a period of time, a few years ago, when I had gotten out of a long habit of daily running due to some knee problems.

I hadn’t yet gotten into my present habit of taking long daily walks. As a result, I was getting progressively out of shape–and heavier. My doctor suggested that I try riding a bicycle for exercise.

So, after an approximately fifty-year hiatus from bike riding, I started riding a bicycle ten miles a day on the bike path alongside the lovely blue Pacific Ocean between Marina del Rey and Santa Monica. I was fearful and wobbly at first, but the more I rode, the less my behind hurt, and the more I grew in balance and confidence.

One day, as I headed north toward my turnaround point at Santa Monica, I found myself going along faster and more effortlessly than ever before. What fun it was! I hardly had to push the pedals. Boy, this is great! I never realized that I would get in such good condition so fast. The muscles in my legs must be developing really well, I thought. I sat straight up on my bike and rode along like a conquering hero. King for a day! Then… Realty struck!

It happened when I turned around to come back. Wham! I was hit in the face with a very brisk wind. To make any forward progress at all, I had to almost stand up on the pedals. Now I knew why I had found it so easy going the other way. The strong wind had been at my back, pushing me along. But now I had a decidedly contrary wind. It was hard going. As I struggled along, making precious little progress, I was tempted to get off and walk the bike back home.

Then a though struck me. Hey, you are out here for exercise. Now you are really developing the muscles of your heart, lungs, and legs. It is the wind in your face that brings the most development, not the wind at your back. So I struggled on and made it back home, not feeling nearly as heroic as I had while going downwind earlier.

How true to life. Sooner or later we all learn that the wind is not always at our backs. Many times we face contrary winds that try our souls. We feel like quitting. The winds are just too contrary and too strong. But, thank God, out of the hard and gusty winds of disappointment, suffering, sadness, rejections, adversity, and pain, comes the development of our spiritual muscles.

It’s fun to have the wind at our backs. But growth comes from having the wind in our face.”

Source: Donald Russell Robertson “Dear You” (Word Publishing 1989)

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Parents Ministry, Teaching Illustrations

A Father’s Influence

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Various studies conducted by Yale, John Hopkins and other groups have documented the following;
The absence of a father is a stronger factor than poverty in contributing to juvenile delinquency.

In 48 cultures around the world crime rates were highest among adults who as children had been raised solely by women. Closeness with parents was the common factor in hypertension, coronary heart disease, malignant tumors, mental illness and suicide. A study of 39 teenage girls suffering from anorexia nervosa showed that 36 of them had one common denominator; lack of closeness with their fathers.

An emotionally or physically absent father contributes to a child’s

  1. low motivation for achievement;
  2. inability to defer immediate gratification for later rewards;
  3. low self esteem;
  4. susceptibility to group influence and juvenile delinquency.

(Again the stats speak for themselves, father’s are important in the lives of their children, and they need to be there not just physically but emotionally as well).

And let me say something up front again, when I say fathers, I am not referring solely to biological fathers; I am also speaking of step-dads as well. Over 40% of all marriages in the US involve a remarriage of 1 or both parties. 1 out of 3 Americans (80 million people) is either a step parent, step child or step sibling. 1 out of 5 children under the age of 18 is a step child. And by the year 2,000 step families (involving 1 spouse who has children) and complex families (in which both spouse have children) will soon be the majority.

Now, If you’re like most men – even those who had a poor or harmful experience with their own fathers – you have a general idea of the kind of father you want to be. You have a picture in your mind of what a model father looks like: you want to be the kind of father: whose children feel secure, confident, loved and accepted whose children save sex for marriage, and remain faithful to their spouse in marriage. whose children develop a reputation as men and women of integrity; honest, ethical, hardworking. whose child might say, “my dad keeps his promises. whose children stand up to unhealthy peer pressure, children who develop healthy friendships,. whose kids say no to drugs and alcohol and risky behavior. whose children quickly admit their mistakes, who are forgiving and patient with others and who enjoy a healthy sense so self- esteem and self confidence. whose children have a hard time picking out a fathers day card (not because they say too much but say too little)

That’s the kind of father we all want to be. That’s the kind of father I want to be. But I know that I am not all I should be. And I know that for me to do this I need a model, I need an example of a father that I can pattern myself after, a father from who I can learn from and imitate.

Source: www.Sermoncentral.com


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Creative Teaching Ideas

Priorities

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Description
Use this creative teaching idea to lead youth in a discussion on priorities and fulfilling the purpose in life for which God placed us in this world.

Materials

  • Large sheets of paper or newsprint
  • Whiteboard markers (that will not bleed through the paper)

Preparation

    1. Put a Poster or large sheet of paper in each corner of the room for each of the following labels:
      • Possessions or provision
      • Power or Position
      • Popularity
      • Others
    2. Place a chair in the exact center of the room as a marker.

Explain

  • Possessions refer to the material things we seek in life.
  • Power refers to positions we want to obtain in life.
  • Popularity refers to social recognition and fame that people seek in life.
  • Explain that the center of the room represents living for God.

What to do

  1. Allow youth to brainstorm about the things that people have as priorities in their lives. Examples might be good grades, a good job, a marriage partner, a house, to serve God, to have lots of money, etc.
  2. Then have youth write the priority on the poster that represents that priority. Some items might fit into more than one category (i.e. good grades might be a priority but the reason could be for popularity or for the purpose of getting a job with more money and a higher position – power.)
  3. After the posters have been filled with examples of each priority, have youth stand somewhere in the room that reflects their most important priorities in life. (For example, if someone’s priority is to make lots of money they might stand in the possessions corner.)

Scripture Text
Read aloud Matthew 4:1-10

Discussion

  • How does this passage relate to the posters in the corners of the room? Which poster represents each of the temptations?
  • How did Christ’s understanding of his purpose in life reflect his priorities?
  • What are some things that are part of God’s plan for every person’s life?
  • How can you discover God’s plan for YOUR life?
  • What do you believe is part of God’s purpose for bringing YOU into the world? (You may not know all the details yet, but you might have some ideas.)
  • Each of you has positioned yourself in a specific corner of the room based on your own priorities. How can someone in your position move closer to “God’s Purpose” for your life and away from the wrong priorities? What are some of the practical steps you can take that would move you closer to God’s ideal plan for your life?
  • Commit to one of the steps you can start this week!

Take it to the Next Level
Jesus was tempted with popularity, power, and possessions (material needs). But because Jesus understood his purpose in the world he did not give into temptation. There is nothing wrong with material possessions, power or popularity. But when they replace God as a priority in our lives they become a problem. In fact, later in Jesus’ ministry we would see him providing for the physical needs of people, he would demonstrate the power of God, and he would be popular. Yet his priority was to do the will of God, to accomplish the purpose for which he had been sent into the world. God has brought each of us into the world for a purpose. The better we understand our purpose, the better we will be able to balance our priorities to fulfill that purpose.

Improving Your Teaching
This type of activity can be used for a variety of active learning lessons. Anytime there are choices to be made, or 2 or more facets of an issue, you can write these on posters and have kids move to that area of the room. The easiest is when there are two choices and youth are asked to move to the left or right of the room depending on whether they agree or disagree with a statement… or whether it is true of them or not. If there are lots of choices, just place them on the walls around the room. It gets the youth physically and mentally involved in the lesson by getting the kids out of their seats and thinking about where they personally stand in relation to a question or issue.


MORE IDEAS? See “Creative Object Lessons”

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Teaching Illustrations

Open Arms (by Max Lucado)

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If you ever wonder how in the world God could use you to change the world, look at the people God used to change history. A ragbag of ne’er-do-wells and has-beens who found hope, not in their performance, but in God’s proverbially open arms.

Abraham- God took what was good and forgave what was bad and used “old forked tongue” to start a nation. Moses- would you call upon a fugitive to carry the Ten Commandments? God did. David- his track record left little to be desired, but his repentant spirit was unquestionable. Jonah- God put him in a whale’s belly to bring him back to his senses. But even the whale couldn’t stomach this missionary for too long.

On and on the stories go: Elijah, the prophet who pouted; Solomon, the king who knew too much; Jacob, the wheeler-dealer; Gomer, the prostitute; Sarah, the woman who giggled at God. One story after another of God using man’s best and overcoming man’s worst.

The reassuring lesson is clear. God used (and uses!) people to change the world. People! Not saints or superhumans or geniuses, but people. Crooks, creeps, lovers, and liars—he uses them all. And what they may lack in perfection, God makes up for in love.

Jesus later summarized God’s stubborn love with a parable. He told about a teenager who decided that life at the farm was too slow for his tastes. So with pockets full of inheritance money, he set out to find the big time. What he found instead were hangovers, fair-weather friends, and long unemployment lines. When he had had just about as much of the pig’s life as he could take, he swallowed his pride, dug his hands deep into his empty pockets, and began the long walk home; all the while rehearsing a speech that he planned to give to his father.

He never used it. Just when he got to the top of the hill, his father, who’d been waiting at the gate, saw him. The boy’s words of apology were quickly muffled by the father’s words of forgiveness. And the boy’s weary body fell into his father’s opened arms.

The same open arms welcomed him that had welcomed Abraham, Moses, David, and Jonah. No wagging fingers. No clenched fists. No “I told you so!” slaps or “Where have you been?” interrogations. No crossed arms. No black eyes or fat lips. No. Only sweet, open arms. If you ever wonder how God can use you to make a difference in your world, just look at those he has already used and take heart. Look at the forgiveness found in those open arms and take courage.

And, by the way, never were those arms opened so wide as they were on the Roman cross. One arm extending back into history and the other reaching into the future. An embrace of forgiveness offered for anyone who’ll come. A hen gathering her chicks. A father receiving his own. A redeemer redeeming the world.

No wonder they call him the Savior.

Source: No Wonder They Call Him the Savior © (W Publishing Group, 1986, 2004) Max Lucado


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Food for Thought

Unhappy?

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Are you happy or unhappy?

Why are people unhappy? Why can’t we find lasting happiness in day to day life.  Max Lucado, in his book “When God Whispers Your Name” proposes a reason for the unhappiness we face:

“Unhappiness on earth cultivates a hunger for heaven. We are not happy here because we are not at home here. We are not happy here because we are not supposed to be happy here. We are ‘like foreigners and strangers in this world.’ (I Peter 2:11)… And you will never be completely happy on earth simply because you were not made for earth.

Oh, you will have your moments of joy. You will catch glimpses of light. You will know moments or even days of peace. But they simply do not compare with the happiness that lies ahead.”

Source: Max Lucado, When God Whispers Your Name

Scriptures

Here are some scriptures related to happiness:

  • Psalm 37:4-6 – Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn, your vindication like the noonday sun.
  • 1 Timothy 6:17 – Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.
  • Luke 11:28 – Happy are those hearing the word of God and keeping it!
  • Psalm 1:1-6 – Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.


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Food for Thought

Irritations

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“When it comes to irritations, I’ve found that it helps if I remember that I am not in charge of my day… God is. And while I’m sure he wants me to use my time wisely, he is more concerned with the development of my character and the cultivation of the qualities that make me Christlike within. One of his preferred methods of training is through adjustments to irritations.

A perfect illustration? The oyster and its pearl.
Pearls are the products of irritation. This irritation occurs when the shell of the oyster is invaded by an alien substance like a grain of sand. When that happens, all the resources within the tiny, sensitive oyster rush to the irritated spot and begin to release healing fluids that otherwise would have remained dormant. By and by the irritant is covered– by a pearl. Had there been no irritating interruption, there could have been no pearl. No wonder our heavenly home has pearly gates to welcome the wounded and bruised who have responded correctly to the sting of irritations.”

Source: Charles Swindoll, The Finishing Touch


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Youth Ministry

Lock-in Checklist

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A “lock in” is an overnight party. The doors might not be literally locked, but no-one goes in or out. Use this comprehensive lock-in checklist to help you plan.

Form a lock-in planning committee

  • Who needs to be involved in the planning for the lock-in? (i.e. parents, youth workers, youth, pastoral staff, others?)
  • What are the roles in the planning and preparation for the lock-in and who will be responsible for each role?

Decide your Goals for the lock-in

  • What is the purpose for the lock-in.
  • Who is the Target group? Who do you want to attend the lock-in? (age group, Christians / seekers, friends of youth, etc.)
  • Write a clear description of the lock-in and its goals.

Plan the Details for the lock-in

  • What is the official name of the lock-in? Does the lock-in name clearly communicate the purpose and content?
  • When is the date and Time?
  • Where is the venue for the lock-in? (Church, community center, skate rink, school, multiple locations?) What are the directions to the venue? Is there a map available? About how long will it take travel there? Is it difficult to find?

Tentative lock-in Schedule / Program

  • What activities will fill the time during the lock-in? OVER PLAN and have ALTERNATIVES.
    (e.g. Icebreakers, Bible study, Board games, video games, Movies, Large Group Games, Skating, Sports, Swimming, Bowling, Volleyball, Basketball, Water Balloon fights, Discussions, Community Service, Dodge ball, capture the flag, floor hockey, carpetball, etc.) If you are using another venue, doing an on site inspection in advance will help you better prepare for lock-in games and activities.
  • Set a bed-time and a wake-up time. Don’t expect the teens to actually sleep during a lock-in, but do have have a time when everyone will wind down with quiet activities and an opportunity for those to sleep who might wish to do so. Also set a wake-up time, especially if you’ll be serving breakfast in the morning.

Lock-in Finances

  • What’s the expected actual cost of the lock-in and activities?
  • What is the budget for the lock-in?
  • What is the cost to participants?
  • Are there sponsors / sources of supplies or food for the lock-in?
  • Are there scholarships available?
  • Does the cost change for early or late sign-ups?
  • Does the cost go down if kids get their friends to sign up for the lock-in? Are there multiple levels of discounts tied to the number of friends who sign up?
  • When is payment due for the lock-in?

Lock-in Arrangements

  • Reservation of Venue?
  • Recruit Adult chaperons / volunteers for the lock-in – A good rule of thumb is to have one chaperon (parent/youth pastor/leader) for every eight youth that attend. (Some groups may require more or less supervision)
  • Are there to be Special speakers / special items or programs utilizing outside people?
  • Someone trained in first aid or medicine on site in case of an injury.
  • What food will be available at the lock-in? Dinner? Snacks? Breakfast? Quantity? Meals and snacks should be designed to meet the needs of all attendees. Are there any special dietary requirements or restrictions?
  • Transportation requirements for the lock-in?
  • What do participants need to bring to the lock-in? (sleeping bag, pillow, snacks, games, swim suit, towel, toothbrush and toothpaste, comfortable clothing and shoes?)
  • What contact information is available for parents of youth attending the lock-in?
  • Contact information for those responsible for major roles and duties?
  • Address and contact of nearest medical emergency aid?
  • Sleeping Arrangements for the lock-in – Provide separate rooms for guys and gals sleeping arrangements. Rooms need to have a monitor.
  • What time should youth arrive at the lock-in and be picked up? Where do parents drop their kids off and pick them up?
  • What Rules will be enforced?
  • Create an ‘Incident Report’ form for any injuries, accidents or security breaches that occur during the lock-in?

Lock-in Publicity

  • Promotional fliers
  • Church Bulletin
  • Church / youth Calendar or events
  • Invitations
  • Sign-up form / Permission slips
  • Postcards to invite friends
  • Posters / Bulletin Boards
  • Website / emails
  • Local newspaper

Equipment and resources needed for the Lock-in

  • Are the tables and chairs available in the meeting rooms sufficient?
  • What is the capacity of the sleeping area(s)?
  • Sound system? Music?
  • Special lighting?
  • Special equipment?
  • Board games, sports equipment, materials for games?
  • Parking space? Drop off and pick-up point for parents?
  • Security?
  • Requisition forms for supplies, Checkout / return out form for any equipment or supplies that are borrowed?

Final Lock-in Preparations

  • Final Program schedule for the lock-in
  • Lock-in Attendee list – Permission slips must be signed by parents / guardians before teens are allowed to attend the lock-in. Keep the contact information together in a folder and available at all times in case of an emergency. Make a master copy and a standby copy.
  • Sponsor list
  • Emergency contacts
  • Fire, medical, and police department numbers
  • What is the name, address and phone number of the nearest hospital or urgent care facility? (This information should be included on your health form/parent release.). What is the most direct route from the lock-in venue?
  • What are the venue management contacts?
  • Prepare a Parent’s contact list.
  • Prepare a Volunteer list with assigned roles and contact numbers?
  • What transportation arrangements are required. Contact numbers?

Lock-in Volunteer Training

  • Screen Volunteers
  • Meet with volunteers as a group before the lock-in.
  • List responsibilities and contact numbers for each lock-in volunteer including a ‘Chain of Command’ – who reports to whom, who makes final decisions?
  • Make sure lock-in volunteers are clear on the rules.
  • Familiarize lock-in volunteers with the layout of the venue – especially exits, potential problem areas or hazards.
  • Assign people in your team to be responsible for cleaning up any spills/ broken glass as soon as it happens?
  • Trouble shoot with lock-in volunteers. What things could happen during the lock-in and how should the volunteers respond?
  • Have people and vehicles on standby to travel with youth in case of emergency.
  • Instruct lock-in volunteers in how to complete the ‘Incident Report’ form for any injuries, accidents or security breaches that occur during the lock-in and what information is needed. They need to get signatures of any eyewitnesses.
  • Go through the entire lock-in schedule. What resources are needed for each item on the schedule and who is responsible to make sure they are ready?
  • Lock-in Volunteers must be flexible and ready to help out as needed.

The Day of the Lock-in

  • Set up for games / activities
  • Delivery and storage of food and supplies
  • Post the rules in the venue where you’re hosting the lock-in. Go over the lock-in rules as soon as the teens arrive. Make your expectations clear. This will help reduce conflicts that might arise during the night.
  • Identify key volunteers to participants, especially the medical person.
  • Are all areas of your venue (including outdoor areas) adequately lit – especially for night time events?
  • Are floor surfaces clear of trip hazards and electrical cords?
  • Are all security, staff and volunteers easily identified with either a uniform, t-shirt, ID badge or cap?
  • Are Emergency/Fire exits clear of any obstructions and will they have adults monitoring them?
  • Are there first-aid supplies, fire extinguishers? If so, where are they located?
  • Are all exits monitored?
  • Prepare a secure area to store any bags until they are collected at the end of the lock-in.
  • Clean up – It’s important to leave the hall or building in the same shape as you found it. Involve everyone in this process.
  • Have people prepared to stay later after the lock-in as not everyone will leave immediately, parents may not pick up young people on time, or transport may be late.

After the lock-in

  • Return rental or borrowed items
  • Thank everyone who made the lock-in possible
  • Meet with the lock-in planning committee and evaluate. Ask: What worked well? What could we have done differently? What did we learn from this process?
  • Review any incident reports completed and see what steps can be taken to prevent similar incidents happening at the next lock-in.
  • Complete and file a written event summary including any resources and suggestions for future planning of lock-ins.

Special Cautions for a lock-in

  • Over-plan your activities so the teens won’t get bored during the lock-in.
  • Plan Bibles studies and spiritual discussions at the beginning of the lock-in when people are most alert and decisions are not clouded by lack of sleep or sugar highs!
  • If youth are of driving age it is recommended they not be allowed to drive home from the lock-in as they might not get enough sleep to take care on the roads.

Sample lock-in rules

  • All youth must sign indicating their agreement to these rules.
  • Unless other arrangements are made with a parent or guardian, each student is expected to stay the entire night, and will only be released to their parent or guardian.
  • No one is allowed to attend the lock-in without a signed parental permission slip and contact numbers. Parents may be called to verify if there is doubt.
  • Lock-in participants will not be allowed to go outside of church or venue without adult supervision, and if this rule is broken the parent will be called and expected to pick up their teen regardless of the hour.
  • NO personal video games, trading cards, or electronic devices
  • Any possessions are bags must be surrendered at entrance to the lock-in venue. Special medication or required items should be indicated on the parent permission form.
  • No illegal drugs, alcohol, dangerous materials, or firearms.
  • All lock-in participants must respect others’ physical boundaries. Inappropriate behavior (i.e.
  • physical intimacy or sexual harassment) is not permitted.
  • Same sex sleeping quarters will be provided. Lights out/quiet hours will be observed in these areas.
  • It is expected that all lock-in participants (youth and adults) will participate in the program. Adequate free time will be scheduled for fellowship and socializing.
  • Violation of these rules will result in disciplinary action and may include the participant being asked to leave the lock-in. Parents will be called to pick them up.
  • Take care of yourself
  • Be considerate and respectful of other participants and leaders
  • Be respectful of the meeting place.
  • Clean up after yourself.
  • THE ENFORCEMENT OF THESE LOCK-IN RULES IS EVERYONE’S RESPONSIBILITY. I have read the above rules and agree to abide by them.

This lock-in checklist is a guide only. It contains general information and is not intended to represent a comprehensive checklist.

Have suggestions to add to the lock-in checklist? Any words of wisdom? Please click on the comments link below and share with us your wisdom and experience in regards to organizing lock-ins for your youth!


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Devotional

Impossible?

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It was said that flight was impossible… until the Wright brothers attained it.

In the physical world there may be limits, but often the limits persist only in the mind of man. When someone looks beyond and dares to challenge the impossible, that barrier we call the “impossible” disperses and we discover things were not as impossible as they seemed. The only true limitation was our belief and the knowledge discovered when we dared to step outside our limiting beliefs.

Listen to these statements of professionals regarding flight.

“…We hope that Professor Langley will not put his substantial greatness as a scientist in further peril by continuing to waste his time and the money involved, in further airship experiments. Life is short, and he is capable of services to humanity incomparably greater than can be expected to result from trying to fly.” – New York Times, December 10,1903, editorial page.

“Outside of the proven impossible, there probably can be found no better example of the speculative tendency carrying man to the verge of the chimerical than in his attempts to imitate the birds, or no field where so much inventive seed has been sown with so little return as in the attempts of man to fly successfully through the air. Never, it would seem, has the human mind so persistently evaded the issue, begged the questions and, ‘wrangling resolutely with the facts’, insisted upon dreams being accepted as actual performance, as when there has been proclaimed time and again the proximate and perfect utility of the balloon or of the flying machine.” — Melville, Rear Admiral George (1901)

“…Should man succeed in building a machine small enough to fly and large enough to carry himself, then in attempting to build a still larger machine he will find himself limited by the strength of his materials in the same manner and for the same reasons that nature has.” — Melville, Rear Admiral George (1901)

“…there is no basis for the ardent hopes and positive statements made as to the safety and successful use of the dirigible balloon or flying machine, or both, for commercial transportation or as weapons of ware, and that, therefore, it would be a wrong, whether willful or unknowing, to lead the people and perhaps governments at this time to believe the contrary;…” — Melville, Rear Admiral George (1901)

“…The aeroplane must have its propellers. These must be driven by an engine with a source of power. Weight is an essential quality of every engine. The propellers must be made of metal, which has its weakness, and which is liable to give way when its speed attains a certain limit. And, granting complete success, imagine the proud possessor of the aeroplane darting through the air at a speed of several hundred feet per second! It is the speed alone that sustains him. Once he slackens his speed, down he begins to fall. He may, indeed, increase the inclination of his aeroplane. Then he increases the resistance necessary to move it. Once he stops he falls a dead mass. How shall he reach the ground without destroying his delicate machinery?” –Newcomb, Simon. Outlook for the Flying Machine. The Independent, October 22, 1903. pp. 2508, 2510-2511.

“…The popular mind often pictures gigantic flying machines speeding across the Atlantic and carrying innumerable passengers in a way analogous to our modern steamships…It seems safe to say that such ideas must be wholly visionary, and even if a machine could get across with one or two passengers the expense would be prohibitive to any but the capitalist who could own his own yacht.” — Source: Clarke, Arthur C. Profiles of the Future. New York, Harper and Row, 1962. pp.3-4.

But of course flight is common to us today. What was once considered impossible is now commonplace.

What is true for the physical world is even more applicable for the spiritual one — where for God, NOTHING is impossible. How many breakthroughs do we miss out on in our spiritual lives because of limiting beliefs. God wants to do the impossible in your life and the first step toward that is for you to believe it can be done. Only then will you discover the wonders God has prepared for you. And you will mount up on eagles wings and fly higher with God than ever before!


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Teaching Illustrations

Need Washing?

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A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Target. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Target.

We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in “Mom let’s run through the rain,” she said.

“What?” Mom asked.

“Lets run through the rain!” She repeated.

“No, honey. We’ll wait until it slows down a bit,” Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated: “Mom, let’s run through the rain,”

“We’ll get soaked if we do,” Mom said.

“No, we won’t, Mom. That’s not what you said this morning,” the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom’s arm.

This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?

“Don’t you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, ‘If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!”

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn’t hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes.

Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child’s life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

“Honey, you are absolutely right. Let’s run through the rain. If GOD let’s us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing,” Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.

And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories…So, don’t forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories everyday. To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.

TAKE THE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN.

Source Unknown

 


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