 She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful brown haired, freckle-faced image of innocence. 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 laced around parked cars. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Walmart. We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. 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 in which I was caught. "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 "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. Honestly, you could hear nothing 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 lets 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. Of course, they got soaked...and were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. I believe that somewhere 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 (hopefully) as "Daddy" walks her daughter down the aisle on her wedding day. They will laugh again....their hearts will beat a little faster.. their smiles will tell the world they love each other. But only they will share that precious moment when they ran through the rain believing that God would get them through. And Yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing. Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories. So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories every day! To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1 I HOPE YOU STILL TAKE THE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN! 
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