Have you ever tried to drive in a downpour of rain?

There was a day when my parents were driving and I was in the backseat of their truck. I don’t recall where we were going and what we did that day, but I remember the rain. I remember the thudding sound of the high speed windshield wipers. I remember our silence as my father tried to focus on the road. I remember driving slowly, just enough to move forward but not enough to make it feel like progress. I remember the rising anxiety of our situation.

I remember my dad saying, “I can’t see. This is a lot of rain. I can’t see what’s in front of me.”

And I remember my daughter’s response.

“Don’t worry Papa. It’s OK. You don’t need to see. God will see for you.”

My daughter’s 3rd grade year wasn’t the best. A year full of bullying affected her grades, standardized testing, and her relationship with her father and I. Our definition of success that year was getting her to school.

We felt defeated.

She wondered why these kids hated her so much. She wondered why they shot down all of her attempts at friendship. And she wondered when it would come to an end.

Then, one day, she had an especially terrible day. My mother picked her up from school and told me that she went straight to the bedroom, slammed the door, and cried on her bed.

I asked my daughter what happened. And she didn’t tell me what happened at school. Instead, she told me what happened when she cried on her bed.

“Mommy, I was crying and angry and I said I hated everything. Then, all of a sudden, like the sound of thunder, God told me that I needed to stop crying. He told me that I was loved and that this would end. So, I stopped crying.”

And just like that, her downpour of tears and bullying stopped. The administration put a heavy foot down and my daughter spent the remaining month of her school year smiling.

I learned two things from my daughter that year.

1. When she saw a situation that was out of our control, she remembered that God was still in control. Not only did she remember, but she was brave enough to remind the adults of this very fact.
2. When she faced a seemingly difficult battle, she not only listened to God’s voice but kept it in her heart. She held on to His truth and His promise. She is faithful.

As a adults, we face a lot of downpours from a lot of different directions. But sometimes, we need to just remember the bravery and faithfulness of our children. They don’t worry about finances, because we pay the bills. They don’t have to worry about food, because we buy the groceries. They don’t have to worry because we meet their every need. They have faith in us as parents.

Who/What do you put your faith in?

If you can’t say, with 100% certainty, that you put your faith in God, then it’s time to reconsider. Everything on this earth will fade, can be destroyed, or can even be stolen from you. I would consider placing your faith in something outside of this world. I would consider placing your faith in someone who died and then rose from the dead, defying all earthly concepts of life and death.

Consider God. Consider Jesus Christ.

When you stand under a downpour of rain, allow God to give you an umbrella and a dry path to walk on.

Have the faith and the bravery of a child.

“He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.'” Matthew 18:2-5 NIV