My daughter has a new fascination with puddle jumping. Which is good, since we're about to enter 9 straight months of rain. I don't know why the sudden fixation; maybe its just the 3-sizes-too-big ladybug rain slicker we just bought for her that she hasn't really broken in yet. Whatever the reason, the other day when it rained she was adamant that we go outside so she could go puddle jumping.
The problem was it hadn't rained very much. That, combined with our relatively-new-street's modern draining system, meant there weren't very many exciting puddles. On the other hand, she seemed pretty content to stomp in the shallow, narrow pools of water she found, one foot at a time, sending water and slime in every direction. We slowly worked our way down the street, stopping to stomp in every puddle, until we got near the end of the block. And there, in front of the community mail boxes, was the puddle I was sure we'd been looking for. Deep, wide, and certain to create the kind of splashing joy a 2 -year-old's dreams are made of. "There we go!" she sang as she took off, running as fast as her shin-high boots and shin-length slicker would let her. I smiled as she approached the giant puddle, squealing all the way. This was about to get very entertaining.
But she and I were not looking at the same puddle. In fact, she ran straight through the best puddle on the block, splashing a little with every step, to arrive, grinning from ear to ear, at the poorest excuse for a puddle you've ever seen. She contented herself with stomping, one foot at a time, in water that she could barely make splash, having no idea what she had missed.
How often do we do that with our lives? How much time do we spend going from shallow to shallow because we're too busy too see the depth of God's love and grace? How often to we miss the depth of understanding God has for our lives because we're too busy getting excited over shallow excuses for joy?
May this be a reminder to slow down, enjoy the messiness of puddle jumping, and be watchful for the joys that God has for you.
