Up, Close & Personal

photo credit: Molly Jane

"Listen, you're about to get up, close and personal with me because if not, you're going to get wet. It'll help you stay under the umbrella, too"

We've had the best rain lately. And yeah, maybe my backyard looks like a jungle and maybe I keep getting my flats muddy -- but the fact is, we desperately needed this rain. I don't know where you're reading from, but we pray for rain here in Texas.

I say it's the best rain because it's still warm outside and the rain feels good on your skin. It's not that cold rain that makes you really wish you could somehow pull your skin from the shirt you have on because you hate when it seeps through. It's the kind that makes you want to stop whatever it is you're doing and just breathe -- right there, soaking wet.

This ^^ is Kenzi. She's one of our youth girls at VLC and possibly one of my favorites (although we don't pick favorites). She's sincere and reserved and funny. Best of all, she's a good friend to my little sister-in-law, Monica. Here is where Molly so graciously gave up her umbrella (so she could be the one to run in the rain) allowing us all to walk over to our church's main sanctuary (covered & dry) to hear our youth play the worship service. Kenzi and I were about to take off out from under the chapel's awning when I jokingly told her, "Listen, you're about to get up, close and personal with me because if not, you're going to get wet. It'll help you stay under the umbrella, too".

Almost immediately after saying this I thought, I wonder if that's what God thinks when He asks us to stay near Him so we don't get hurt? Not only does He want an intimate (up, close & personal) relationship with us, but He wants us to stay under His umbrella so we don't get washed away with all of the worries/hurts/scaries of the world.

In that moment, I realized how lovely God really is and how much affection He truly has for us. Thank you, Lord, for the rain and for the way in which you love and care for us. So today, if you do nothing else -- get up, close and personal with God.

It'll help you stay under His umbrella.

;)