FOODFORTHOUGHT

She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful brown haired,
freckled-faced Image of innocence. Her Mom looked like someone from the
Walton's or a moment captured by Norman Rockwell. Not that she was
old-fashioned. Her brown hair was ear length with enough curl to appear
natural. She had on a pair of tan shorts and light blue knit shirt. Her
sneakers were white with a blue trim. She looked like a Mom. It was
pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the tops of rain
gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the Earth it has no time to flow
down the spout. Drains in the nearby parking lot were filled to capacity and
some were blocked so that huge puddles made lakes around parked cars.
We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the
WalMart. We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature
messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rain fall. I get
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 come pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day. Her
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.

"Let's 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 her
statement.
"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
lets 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 believers who screamed and laughed like children all the way
to their cars. Perhaps inspired by their faith and trust. I want to
believe that somewhere down the road in life, Mom will find herself reflecting
back on moments they spent together, captured like pictures in the
scrapbook of her cherished memories.

Maybe when she watches proudly as her daughter graduates. Or as her
Daddy walks her down the aisle on her wedding day. She will laugh
again. Her heart will beat a little faster. Her smile will tell the world they
love each other.

But only two people will share that precious moment when they ran
through the rain believing that God would get them through. And Yes, I
did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under the
heaven." Ecclesiastes 3:1