Sun Showers

James 1:17 -- "Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow."

With my head under the surface, all I can hear is the water rushing over the rocks at the falls next to the pool and the occasional splash as children jump into the arms of their parents. The sun beats warm on my shoulders and I push myself to keep swimming. Keep moving through tired arms and burning legs. I've promised myself I'll do these laps every single day - for at least an hour. But I stop - to watch the rain.

Looking up into a blazing sky I am amazed every single time we get a Florida sun shower. I smile to myself and lay back to float. The guys are at the other end, in a contest to see who can hold his breath the longest. I watch big fat rain drops sploosh into the pool and wish I'd brought the water proof camera to capture the little divers as they displace water and then settle into little tiny craters. Bubbles form where the rain hits the water and I can't help but think of James 1:17. Every good thing comes from above. This is joy. In spite of the water that seems to have permanently settled in my left ear.

If I park my heels on the lip of the pool, lay back and relax my arms....I can float there, watching the clouds try to blow up an afternoon thunder storm. The buzzards try to ride the updraft and circle around, getting higher and higher - until I can barely see them. I hear the guys laugh - I can't tell who won their contest but I enjoy their laughter. The three of them, huddled in their own pow-wow, blowing water off their faces like whales. Content, in this private club of theirs that I don't mind not being a part of.

The whole day could end up in my gratitude journal - in my endeavor to count more than one thousand gifts, as Ann Voskamp suggested. Again, I smile to myself. God is amazing. Unlike the clouds that pile up in high towers that flatten out when they reach the edge of the troposphere  - God never changes. He is always the same. And He is always good. Lying there in the tiny waves generated by those around me - looking up into a sky that seems to go on forever - I feel small. I can almost see the earth spin - an am amazed by my position on it.

The next verse in James says: "He chose to give birth to us by giving us His true Word. And we, out of all creation, became His prized possession."

My heart swells. I don't always behave like a prized possession. While I long so to serve the Lord completely, by Monday morning I feel myself forget and step back into the worry, clinging to stress in a chaotic ocean of home school classes, family budget, house-hold chores, and so on. But on THIS day - I remember. I smile as the sun warms my face and the rain drops follow.

Out of ALL creation - I am His prized possession. I am so very, very thankful for this incredible love and grace.