Dancing in the Rain, Stomping in the Mud, & Other Dirty Adventures!!!

I take the baby out around ten in the morning every day to play. Monday was like any other day.  I asked her if she wanted to go outside & she responded with a simple shake of the head & a “yeah”! We traveled out into the beautiful sunshiny day! It was clean & crisp. The day hinted at the glorious autumn that would soon envelope us. The baby squealed & laughed & tromped about. Even scaring the neighbor’s cat a bit with her big “lion” roars.

Then, she spied it! It was a little thing really. Some water from an evening rain had collected in one of the lawn chairs. She was on it in seconds. She splashed, stuck her face in it, climbed up & sat in it, splashed some more, more face planting in it…all the while laughing with reckless abandon. I did have a moment where I thought, “Oh, Rachael! Now, I’m going to have to change you & we are going to have to pick the boys up soon! Really, couldn’t you just do something that didn’t get you all wet and dirty?” But, those thoughts were quickly drowned out by pealing laughter. I just had to let her get wet & dirty. There was far too much joy in it!

God always teaches me great lessons with the children. This time was no different. He was tenderly whispering to my heart. He was speaking of how much He wanted to take me to the dirty, wet, muddy places. This would be where I would find my joy.

The fear in my heart, I think in most human hearts, is having our skirts showing. We don’t want anyone to see the ugly. Especially within the church, we are inadvertently taught to keep those “naughty bits” hidden. There is no room for error in this Christian faith. This leads to plastic people who freak out when they get a little mud on their shoes. This, unfortunately, is what leads non-believers to look at the Christian & shake their heads in wonder.

God wants us dirty. He wants us to dance in the rain, head thrown back in abandoned laughter. He wants us to stomp in the mud puddles. He wants us dirty for the Kingdom. There is no pretense or show in the dirty place. There is a lot of heartache, hurt, human depravity, & “stinkyness”! God comes and meets us, tenderly speaks to us, & shapes our heart for His service.

I think of those wonderful disciples – the rough, eclectic, salt of the earth lot of them! I love their humanness. I loved how Jesus loved them & used them not in spite of that human nature, but through it! He transformed others through the hands of the disciples, but he also transformed these twelve men.

We were never called to be perfect! Until we learn that hard and painful truth we will never look at the mess around us & be able to laugh. We won’t grasp joy that is right at our back door. We will never truly know what it means to really love another human being, or, sadly, God Almighty.

Personally, I want my skirts showing a little bit. I want my humanness to come through. I want people to know that I sin & fail God every single day, but through His sovereignty & deep love for me, He transforms my very heart. I want to stomp in the mud alongside those that are hurting & broken & needy. I want to wrap them in my muddy arms & kiss their cheek. I want to tenderly wash their feet & bind their wounds. I just want to be the love of Jesus.

I do not want to be concerned with what others think is acceptable.

So, my choice, my humble choice is to laugh in the mud, dance in the rain, & get dirty for Jesus. It’s a risk, but a risk worth taking!!!

 

“Land that drinks in the rain often falling on it & that produces a crop useful to those for whom it is farmed receives the blessing of God.” – Hebrews 6:7

“…And the kind & courteous is a life I’ve heard, but it’s nice to say we played in the dirt, cause here, here we are, here we are…” – Jason Mraz, Beautiful Mess

“You pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud too. That’s a part of it!” – Denzel Washington