Pools and Puddles

I woke up in a blur the other morning. I stumbled in and pressed the "Give-Me-Coffee-Quick" button on the coffee maker and grabbed my morning devotional. As the coffee began to do its work, so did the words I read from the skinny brown book. The word picture painted for me was that of a pool of water.

"We dig a well," said the author, "but heaven fills it with rain." It was a good reminder as I looked ahead at the duties the awaited me. The work was mine to do, but it was God's to bless, for, as my slim book asked,

"What are the means and ordinances without the smile of heaven? They are clouds without rain and pools without water. O God of love, open the windows of heaven and pour us out a blessing."

Thus bolstered, I met the morning with a skip in my step and praise on my lips. My few moments of devotion had changed my morning perspective. I saw beauty everywhere. I grabbed my camera as the kids finished getting ready for school so that I could record God's blessings in my day...

There were the flowers from my mom's cutting garden waiting for me in the bathroom when I brushed my teeth.

Our little cherry tomato plant, which had recovered from animal attack last month and has been producing a red tomato or two every few days.

My children, gathered 'round to listen to their history lesson on a sunny side porch.

Peanut butter cake, delivered to us by one of our favorite families, for morning snack with hot tea along side.

"Blessings all mine with ten thousand beside..."

I was soaring on the wings of blessing, my heart as bright and cheerful as the sun was warm and...sunny. 

Until...remember by devotional and its talk of pools of water...

...the green mug in that picture above was soon to tip over and cover our maps with sticky sweet hot tea which dripped through the table top and covered our shoes and the porch.

No big deal. We stopped and cleaned it up, and got back to work.

Until...remember that green mug up there...after it was refilled with tea, it was knocked to the ground by a student more intent on her work than on her beverage. 

(This teacher is not complaining about that!)

No problem. We stopped and cleaned that up too and got back to work.

Except...during that break, Cole found a slug, a big slug and decided that it would make a good pet. I decided it would probably make an educational pet and sent him to see what a slug eats. After providing apple and broccoli and a bowl to Cole's new pal, we got back to work.

Until...it was time for first grade art to come to an end and ... 

well...remember my morning devotion about pools of water and about how my work was God's to bless and not mine to fret about?

I'm so glad He's in charge of the puddles. 

There certainly were plenty of them for both of us to deal with today.

Know what else I'm glad about? I'm glad I had a moment that morning to lift my chin toward Him first thing. If I hadn't, I might have been a hot steamy pile of discouragement and defeat before lunch time.  If I hadn't given up by lunch time, I'd surely have given up after lunch, because things became more difficult as the day progressed. Nothing was earth-shattering, there were just lots of little puddles underfoot and all about. We just kept cleaning them up and getting back to work.

Having taken a small minute first thing had rescued our day. 

I really must begin every day like that because into every life, a little rain must fall and I want my rain to be the kind from heaven...the kind that fills the pools...the kind that blesses!

"Oh God of love, open the windows of heaven and pour us out a blessing!"

Morning devotion: Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon. Devotions from this work are also available FREE online here.