The Waiting Walk

We had enjoyed a few not-rainy days – something rare this time of year. It was nice. At recess the kids are able to play outside in the yard and playground if it isn’t raining, and of course that is always more fun than hanging out under cover.

But Thursday it decided to POUR. While it rains frequently, it doesn’t pour that hard around here often – there was no way the kids were going to play anywhere without cover! Some of them wouldn’t even make the 30 foot run from the covered sidewalk to the big covered area where everyone else was playing basketball or “Sharks and Minnows.” They didn’t want to get drenched!

Several hours later, when afternoon recess rolled around, we headed into the hallway and outside. As we approached the outside doors, we could see sunshine streaming in! Yay! It wasn’t raining anymore! Since the sun isn’t even sighted on normal days very often, much less on rainy days, this was a special treat. But one of my students was even more excited than me! (And let’s be honest – it’s really hard to get more excited than Mrs. Fresse when it comes to seeing the sunshine in the middle of winter in Portland!)

She was so excited as she spoke. “Oh yay, it isn’t raining! I prayed and asked God if he could send some sunshine and LOOK! He did!!!” Wow! I was super pleased to hear that she was thinking of God, and that she was willing to ask Him for something. I told her that it was just a little way that He was showing her that He loved her! And honestly, while we all need that sometimes, some of us need that assurance even more than most. So I really do think that God reached down from heaven and swooped those clouds away, just for her. Of course, I made sure to tell her that even if it had still been raining, His love for her was definitely still there – this was just a bonus gift! It was definitely a sweet teacher moment. I love teaching at a Christian school where we can freely share these moments.

That afternoon as I was driving, rushing to get my own children from one place and bring them to another, I looked in my mirror and saw the brightest, boldest rainbow. And I chose to thank God for that little gift, that little bonus reminder of His love, just for me. Truly, that is how I view every rainbow I see. Just a little peek at the love that God has for me, spilling out of heaven in splashes of color to delight my eyes and stir my soul. A gift. I am loved.

You are loved too. Whether it is sunshine or rainbows, smiles and cuddles, a hug or a note, a bird song or gentle breeze, an extra minute of sleep in the morning, or a quiet moment at night, God says He loves you. And if you will notice, He will give you those little bonus gifts just to remind you so.

What gift have you enjoyed recently?