Sloshing in roadside curbs during spring showers always made me giggle when I was a child. And stomping in those puddles with friends to see which one of us could make the biggest splash shoved our laughter clear to bell-ringing joy.
August in drought-ridden Texas is brutal so we escape to the air-conditioned comfort of our homes. Not so for the birds. They’re confined to the scorching concrete and asphalt.
There was not even a promise of rain one hot, dry, August afternoon. But red birds, blue-jays, mocking birds, and even doves, splashed and splattered in refreshing puddles of relief created by my soaker hose.
Except of a few naysayers, who sat in the branches too stubborn or too afraid to surrender to the delight of the cool water, these winged creatures cast their personality quirks off their wing tips to join in a few moments of peaceful restoration.
Did you know God provides puddles of refreshment for His kids too? Puddles of encouragement. Puddles of invigoration. Puddles of comfort. These oasis moments appear like the spontaneity of a summer shower. A phone call from a grandchild. An unexpected letter or card. A surprise bouquet of flowers. Or perhaps a tiny thought or memory that brings pleasure and breaks the grip and stress of life’s storms.
Last week I found myself in one of those funks. Too much to do, too little time. I was overwhelmed. I surrendered to the sudden urge to turn off the freeway and take the country route home. I drove along grumbling and complaining, paying no attention to my surroundings, ‘til something sprinted from the bushes ahead of me.
A roadrunner.
Now this Florida gal never ceases to be amazed and filled with delight at every sighting of this peculiar bird. This long-legged fowl moved with the speed of light, out of the bushes, across the roadway, down the ditch and up the embankment to the other side. I could almost hear the “beep-beep” as his feathers caught the sunlight and flashed snatches of green, blue and chestnut brown. He paused, looked my direction, then spread his wings and flew over the bushes into the safety of the forest.
Amazing. I’m grumbling and complaining and God puts this puddle of encouragement, especially for me, smack in the middle of my path. I spent the remainder of the journey home thanking God. Contemplating the mercy and grace His love poured on me in spite of the deception of my tantrum.
The lens we choose to look through every moment of each day colors our attitude and guides the ebb and flow of our tumultuous emotions.
What if I had ignored the impulse to get off the freeway Habitrail and continued zooming home at max speed, my stress building with every turn of the wheels? Could it be our parents understood the old saying about taking time to inhale the fragrance of the blossoms?
I wondered how many of God’s puddles, tagged with my name, I’ve missed, run through, or ignored?
How about you? Have you become so embroiled in the deserts of drought, the heat of battles, and storms of relationships that you have failed to stop and enjoy those God given moments of blessed relief?
I would love to hear what inviting puddles have brought blessings to you. Share how those moments of joy changed you.
God promises to renew our strength along this difficult journey. If we wait on Him. He promises to give us His strength. If we seek Him. And He promises to guide us through rough terrain. But, it’s all conditional on watching, waiting, and taking the time to wade into those precious puddles of delightful joy sent by God the Father to His parched, needy children.
“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired. His understanding is inscrutable. He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power. Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly, yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary” (Isaiah 40:28-31 NAS).
A great post, DiAne. Here’s the puddle of joy the Lord put in my path today:
“Except for a few naysayers, who sat in the branches too stubborn or too afraid to surrender to the delight of the cool water, these winged creatures cast their personality quirks off their wing tips to join in a few moments of peaceful restoration.”
What a WONderful sentence! I can see them, the naysayers and the woohoo-I’m-goin’-for-it-sayers. They all make me smile.
Thanks to your post, DiAne, I’ll be keeping my eyes open wider to see the delight, and surrender to it.
Lord, thank You for the joy You sent me today through the vision and the words of a great writer.
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Kathleen, it’s a battlefield out there and Christ knew it was. The older is become the more I realize that He is in the every day moments that we cast aside, charge through like the proverbial bull and we miss Him. Miss those refreshing “puddles of joy”. Watch for them. They dot the landscape of our lives, just because He loves you and me and all of His children.
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[…] A good read from DiAne Gates- PUDDLES OF JOY. […]
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I loved it all–the reflections on the puddles of life. None have I sensually enjoyed more than those when I wore my checkered sunsuit and puddled in the muddy water as a kid in Ohio in the 40’s. Your photos also reminded me of puddles through the years, here in Florida. Your final note about the roadrunner have caused me some envy I will admit. For all of the trips west, I have never seen a live roadrunner. I’ve added it to my bucket list.
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Judy, I must tell you roadrunners were spectacular birds…until I found out they are carnivorous. They can jump high enough to catch a humming bird in flight. We have a roadrunner that appears every spring, just when the birdie eggs are hatching. He sashays up my driveway, takes a look around the front porch, looking for nests. Then goes onto the next house. Our neighborhood is “Roadrunner smorgasbord.”
However, I never tire of their sudden appearances, “beep, beep,” then they’re gone. I’d love to see roadrunner chicks. BTW, I turned the soaker hose on this morning and the birds were back, enjoying their Saturday bath in the “puddles of joy”. Supposed to be 103-105 today. Pollution alerts and so dry. Thank goodness for air-conditioning.
I remember those mud puddles too. My mom said I would get my hands dirty, then run crying to her because they were. 🙂 Still don’t like dirty hands.
DiAne
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Everything in our back yard is burning up with this drought, but the oleander & our new passion flower plant still gives blossoms like a God-given puddle of joy. Thanks for the reminder, Diane. Good post.
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Thank you Janet, for your response. Even in the midst of crunchy brown everywhere, there is always a puddle of joy as you so gratefully stated. We finally had rain. Not a gulley-washer, just a soft rain through the night and early morning. Living in Texas has made me aware of the blessing of rain. Thank you Lord for last night’s rain.
Blessings…DiAne
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Hi Diane – love the imagery here. And I so agree with your lovely statement: “The lens we choose to look through every moment of each day colors our attitude . . . ” So many wonderful puddles – so much to be grateful for. I’ve focused on that topic a lot – even more so as I wrap up radiation treatments and think about how fortunate I am to have so much that is good in my life as well as receive so many miracles and kindness in the midst of ‘bad.’! I am actually doing my own blog post tomorrow on being grateful for our spouses.
And I can’t sign off without commenting on those awesome roadrunners! I had never seen any until we moved to Oklahoma. Now we have resident roadrunners and it feels like such a privilege to see their little families grow and move on. The only downside? They are large birds. With large reminders left behind!
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Okay Shel, now I’m jealous. I’ve never seen the little rr babies. So glad to hear you’re on the finishing side of radiation treatments. I believe God allows us to go through difficult, even tragic, times to go our faith in Him. I’ll look forward to reading your blog post tomorrow.
DiAne Gates
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Love your blog! What a blessing. Just got off of the phone with my husband, and he told me he had just met you at the conference. Isn’t it amazing how God works?
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Teri, thank you so much for reading and responding to my blog. Your husband is such a precious man of God. My husband has talked about his help and kindness through the changes in the system. I hope you will continue following my blog. And as soon as I finish ten days of dirty laundry I will be checking out your website too.
Blessings to you and your family…DiAne
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