The kids and I headed to the car quickly this morning to avoid getting drenched and forged on to school. When we arrived the parking lot was full of puddles...no way to avoid them as we headed in on our first day back from a fun-filled break. Typically, a vivacious five year old would jump right in those puddles and watch the water fly! You know you've done the very same thing...in June! or to be poetically correct, April! April showers bring May flowers (which brought the pilgrims! One of my son's favorite jokes!). In June, or April, the water is cool and refreshing. In November, it is cold and miserable. It makes you wish for a fireplace to lay in front of and warm up with a steaming mug of hot cocoa...don't forget the marshmallows, please!
Today, Chloe stood at the edge of a puddle that was clearly too wide for her to step across. She looked up and down and realized she would have to step in it to get to the building. Her eyes gazed up at me and before she uttered the words I knew I would have to rearrange everything in my arms to scoop her up and save her from the...save her from the rain puddle?! I think not! I reminded her how much fun it is to splash in puddles...how I can't keep her out of them in the summer...how she loves to walk out of her way to find the largest puddle to jump in. She wasn't convinced and tiptoed her way across.The fact is cold water feels good when you are hot but it is miserable when you are cold. The same is true of our words. Words can encourage someone in the right circumstance but could also discourage in the wrong moment. My favorite book says, "Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in the right circumstances." Proverbs 25:11.
