I spent the past few days with my family at the lake. Over the weekend, I caught 2 huge fish (with a piece of leftover sausage on my son’s kiddie fishing rod,) we’ve tubed and sunned, floated on gently bobbing waves for hours, eaten outside on a breezy porch, and treat of all treats, we’ve gone to bed early. It’s been a fun time with my siblings and my own little family as well.
This weekend taught me a little something too… about swim diapers… They don’t super work.
At all.
It may have been the moment where sweet and sunny arm-chaired snuggles with my little one on the dock suddenly transitioned to streams of hot liquid puddling in my lap that tipped me off. Or perhaps it was the hip hold to spare his tender feet over rocky ground that left me with a moistened shirt and side that told me something might not be working. Or maybe, maybe it was the moment where the not-yet-potty-trained 2 year old said to me, “I tinkle Mommy…I tinkling”…more aware of the puddle he found himself standing in than the actual sensation of the whole ordeal. Whatever situation though, I learned that little swimmers are really just meant to hold in more “serious” business. At least they generally do that.
One afternoon, I jumped in the lake for a quick cool-off before re-situating myself in my sun-soaked chair. Moments after sitting down, my 2 year old came over very concerned and trying to lift me from my recliner…insistent that I’d “tinkled” in my seat. It only took one look below to realize that he thought the puddles of lakewater below, from my recent dip, were in fact, an accident.
In an effort to straighten him out, we dipped his lower half in the water and told him to pay attention to how his bathing suit dripped water everywhere he went. Much to his delight, he wanted more dips to create more puddles. Oh…the games we play!
After this went on for a few partial dunks into the lake, he tired and then grabbed my hand to lead me to see a fish that had been caught and was swimming around in a baby pool.
It was then that his drips from the lake ran out, and we suddenly found ourselves dealing with a fresh new puddle…not of lakewater.
But honestly, who can tell what is what on a wooden dock? Lakewater…pee….it all looks the same puddled on weathered woodgrain. But this mama knew. I knew that what had dripped down needed to be dealt with. I knew that this wasn’t something other people would want to walk through. So I cleaned it up….and cleaned up my little man too.
And I wondered to myself, how often do we dribble things that may or may not be safe for others to walk through? How often in our lives do we put forth what may seem fine to the untrained eye or heart, but in the end isn’t something lovely or honorable? Are our words kind and edifying? Are our motives gracious and pure? Or do we walk around making puddles in life that people may or may not soil their feet on…and we don’t make the distinction )even if we know the truth), because we know they won’t either?
For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey,
and her speech is smoother than oil;
but in the end she is bitter as gall,
sharp as a double-edged sword. – Prov 5:3-4
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. – Phil 4:8
For those of you who intend to begin the 21 day fast with me this coming Friday, June 1st, I want to put a specific challenge out there that we all spend a couple of days in prayer that the Lord will purify our hearts and our words…so that when we drip….we’re dripping honey…that is as sweet as sugar and in the end brings life. And really, for all of us whether we’re fasting or not, it’s true that out of the mouth flows the contents of the heart.
“What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” – Matt 15:11
I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to just be dry bones, or an indiscernible pool of urine on a deck in my life or in my walk with the Lord. I want to bring a fragrant offering, to be full of life, and so lovely with the stamp of the authenticity of a gracious father, that no one would ever mistake me for anything else.
June 1st ladies….for 21 days. Let’s let Him be the thing that fills us up, that brings new life, and reveals Himself to us in ways we haven’t seen before. And He is enough. He will be enough. The manna of his goodness is daily my friends. He doesn’t tarry, He always provides, and He always…ALWAYS shows up when we ask Him!
I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. – Ps 81:10
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert”. – Is 43:18-19
Thanks to AshlieWrites for the reminder of this beautiful scripture from Isaiah in last weeks comments! It will spring forth friends…the newness. I picture a brook bubbling out of the ground and bringing life to all the places it passes through! So too will we be the same as the Lord does His good work in each of us! To share encouraging scriptures, words, or insights as we journey individually, yet together from June 1st-21st, use the hashtag #allumefast on Twitter.
I am excited to see how the Lord teaches and uses each of us as He draws us closer to Himself during this time.
So come Holy Spirit! Come Lord Jesus, and fill our hearts, our lips, and our lives with the bread of Heaven. You are the daily manna that we want, Father. We know that we can trust you to feed us well, even in the desert. You are good Papa, and we praise your Holy name!
