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Running with God Through the Rain
by Bob Perks
I listen. That's where my stories come from.
I speak. That's how I get to meet the most incredible people.
But sometimes just listening from afar is enough to fill my heart. I
don't
always need to say hello to bring a perfect stranger into my life.
Conversations overheard are lessons in life sometimes even more powerful
than
those we are a part of.
This brief encounter filled my day to capacity. If only they knew the
gift
they gave me.
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 laked around parked cars.
We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the
Wal-Mart.
We waited, some patiently, others aggravated 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
let's
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 some where 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.
Yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.
Bob Perks can be reached at
Bob@BobPerks.com
~~~~~~~
from the April Passover 2003 Edition of the Jewish Magazine
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