Rain, Rain, Go Away

I'm always amazed at how single-minded I am. That old adage, "Out of sight, out of mind" could be plastered across my forehead, it's so true for me.

We just got done with 3 straight days of rain. That's hard on kids and parents alike, and even more difficult when you have a husband, father, and uncle all running around indoors trying to paint walls and frame in windows. It's like we got a taste of how we'll feel in February when the cold winds are howling, when going outside is never done out of desire.

Today the sun finally came out. And can you believe that in just 3 short days I forgot what it was like to be outside in the sun? Talk about a short memory! As I walked from the parking lot into my school I noticed again the green grass, the crisp fall breeze. I thought, "I need to take advantage of this while it's here. I should get outside more often."

And then I'm inside preparing lessons and marking papers, talking to colleagues and deciding on discipline measures. The sunshine outside? Forgotten. Poof. Out of sight, out of mind. How quickly that happens, even with things we enjoy.

Sorrowfully, it happens all too often with my God.

Ethan kept me hopping tonight as we walked around the neighborhood, tossing out question after question. The part that I remember the most went something like this:

"Mommy, it's going to rain. The clouds are gray. Do you think it is going to rain?"

"No honey, the rain is going away. It just rained for a long time and now the rain is going away."

"I think there is rain in there. The clouds are gray. There is no white in there."

He paused and looked up at the sky, "Does God live in the sky?"

"Something like that," I said.

"But we don't get to see him, right?"

That made me think... "We don't get to see him but we do get to see what he does. We just have to look for it."

As we walked back to our house it dawned on me that I haven't been looking for God enough lately. It's so easy to let him slip out of sight, and then he slips right out of my mind.

I'm looking forward to the startup of Bible Study this week. The best way I know to keep God in my sights is to be in the word and Hebrews 4:12 says it better than I ever could: "For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."

May you keep God in your sights and on your mind. Amen.