Little Drops of Water

It doesn't necessarily start to pour when it rains. It sometimes starts with gentle drips.  Even the heaviest downpour starts with little drops before gaining momentum.

 Altair Urbano via photopin cc

 These little drops are signs which alerts to heavier drops to come. It might begin with sporadic burst of rain drops before becoming a consistent shower but it will be utter foolishness to disregard the tiny drops. Little drops of rain affords one the opportunity to project and plan for the likelihood of heavier showers. As a young girl growing up in the not so posh side of town, rainfalls were well appreciated. Its free water saving most families the stress of  the long walk to fetch water for household purposes. It also affords the kids the opportunity to play in the rain naked and unabashed.

 Frederic Mancosu via photopin cc

As pleasurable as  playing in the rain was, nothing beats the anticipation of the rain itself.  The gentle pit pat of rain drops on the roof tops and the sweet musky smell of wet sand was heavenly. The smattering of sounds on the rooftop was all the neighbourhood needed to start gathering available empty buckets and pans to collect rain water.

It doesn't necessarily have to be much but the anticipation was all the same. The people knew that little will go a long way to alleviate the constant water shortage and the accumulation of little becomes much. They knew that the tiny drops was a symbol of much more to come.

Elijah the Tishbite understood this principle in 1Kings 18. After the land had experienced intense drought for thee years, Elijah prayed that it would rain again but Heaven did not immediately open its gates and poured rain. What Elijah saw instead was a "little cloud no bigger than a man's  hand" 1 King 18:44. It was a little cloud but it was good enough for Elijah. In that "littleness" was packed  everything that Elijah had prayed and expected.

My little boy with autism did an interesting thing some weeks ago that got me on my knees giving glory to God. You see with autism, you have to initiate and motivate good behaviour which could try the patience of even Mother Theresa and I'm no Mother Theresa!!

It was breakfast time and the menu was weetabix but Joshua was having none of it. Instead of throwing the usual tantrum to express his frustration, he gently pushed away the box of cereal, walked to the cupboard and brought out branflakes! In teary amazement, I gave him a hug and breakfast was tantrum-free.

My boy now pro actively makes requests and asserts his preferences. I almost did a triple jump  the day he gently opened the front passenger seat of my car showing his desire to sit beside me. These "little" milestones  might seem ordinary to other parents but to me it was  all the sign I needed.  Its about to pour "rain" in my household and my empty pots and buckets are ready for the flood

. The little drops of water is gradually becoming streams of water. The years of drought is over and I am overjoyed. I can see the little drops of water in my son's life, how about you? Don't give up yet! Whatever the situation,never discountenance the evidence of "little" that you are seeing; with God little is much!! If the "little cloud no bigger than a man's fist" was good enough for Elijah, then I'ma start celebrating.

A FEW GOOD MEN and women.

I had this interesting discussion with a couple of friends some weeks back and the discussion somewhat shifted to men(no surprises there...lol). A running trend was how a lot of women have been hurt by men, how men now shirk their responsiblities and bottom line "there are no good men in Ireland". I wish I had taken a recording of how my dear friends were spewing fire..lol. As I gazed at the faces of the women at this informal meeting, I noticed we all had a lot in common aside from our bulging tummies....lol Some of us are single mothers made to bear the burden of raising kids alone without any form of support from the fathers. Even the ones that were married still shoulder the burden of being both father and mother at the same time. The single girls complained bitterly about how men just want to "use and dump"...how pathetic! I seriously blame this ugly trend on the erratic Irish weather!! It has the ability to turn any sane person nuts..lol. While not totally exonorating the women, I am not in a position to proffer reasons for any man that fails to uphold his position in the family as a priest, provider, care giver and father, they do a good job at making excuses themselves. I simply marvel at how a man would deliberately abandon his children simply because "he fell out of love with his wife or the woman is bad" or my all time favourite "my wife is a witch". Excuse me!!! but what about the children? Unfortunately, the first model for children are their parents. Children are great observers and are quick to recreate what they see!!! remember that the next time you want to utter an unkind thing about your spouse because it will bounce back at you!!! Even the church is not exempt as members tend to copy the mannerism of their pastors!! Jesus' disciples were identified because their lifestyles modelled the lord!! Every home needs a disciplinarian and that's one of the roles of the father but when the men abdicate their position the result is a family in chaos and society in disarray!!. The rise in single parent families and absentee fathers was identified as one of the causes of the London riot in 2011. Every child especially the boy child needs a father figure to emulate. So what happened? Where have the good men gone. As I pondered this knotty issue, I was reminded of the story in 1 Kings 19 when Elijah was bemoaning the killing of the the priests of Jehovah by Jezebel and saw himself as the "last man standing". But God's response staggered him " Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him". Despite the huge number of priests that were killed by Ahab and his queen there were remnants that the lord had preserved for himself. It doesn't matter the number of Mis-directed and "deadbeat men out there there a few good men too. This I believe strongly. I know men who are kind, generous and God fearing. These type are not extinct-they really do exist but it takes sifting through the chaff to find one. Any man reading this that needs reprogramming, this a life changing event you shouldn't miss. Hey we all need help sometimes....make that ALL THE TIME

Barely enough is MORE THAN ENOUGH.

Love is a beautiful feeling isn't? Everyone desires to love and be loved in return. Beyond the mushy feeling and exchange of endearment, I have learnt love is a choice and decision. People don't just fall or trip head over heels in love, that's kids’ stuff. Real love is a conscious effort and decision by responsible adults to pour the best of each other into one another; to serve and be served. It is not a blind eyed decision or a tingling sensation running down one's spine. It's a conscious choice sustained by hard work and commitment. My good friend and special boo shared with me that love cannot be defined by itself but can be described by its attributes such as kindness, forgiveness, sharing, etc. Since every human is born with the innate desire to be loved, it’s a wonder why many people make very poor choices in love. This can be blamed on a warped societal concept, sexualisation and commercialization of love. For those who'd been hurt in love, climbing back on love's merry wagon becomes an arduous and painful task; you worry if your love will be reciprocated or even wonder if you have any more of yourself to give. I'm not an expert on love but I do understand God's kind love. This kind of love is about giving, not just anything but the best of you even when it’s inconvenient... "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” This kind of love is neither selfish nor blind. "But I've given away the best of me and only get hurt in the end", you say. Well, take a closer look, deep within you'll find there is still something to give. Don't believe me? Let me tell you a story about a lady who found herself in a very painful situation and was still expected to be generous with her next to nothing provision. Death had stolen from her and hunger now threatens to squash what was left. She had nothing left in the world except a hunger riddled son and a "handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug" 1 king 17:12. This woman had a lot working against her. She was a widow-a dead broke widow at that-with a young mouth to feed. She had lost the one she calls darling; the man that plants tiny kisses on her nose every morning and made sure there were provisions for the long winter night. She'd lost her husband and best friend. Now she faces losing the one thing that's left of him to hunger. In the throes of her pain, waltzed in Elijah requesting to eat from what's barely enough for her family. HABA!!!! Elijah could have gone anywhere but God sent him to this particular woman who had "barely enough". I believe God wanted her to overcome her fear of giving, get her focus off her inadequacies and unto a generous God, that's why Elijah came knocking at her door. "Do not fear...make me a small cake from it first and bring it to me" I Kings 17:13. I perfectly understand the woman's reluctance and dilemma. The truth is for people who'd been hurt one too many times, the fear of being hurt again underlies their reluctance to be love or better still give love. But I love this widow’s bravery! She dared to pour the little she had into God's able hands and she experienced such an awesome infinite supply. She didn't hold back the little she had but poured into the right vessel-GOD’S VESSEL. I know what it means to be broken, hurt and emptied of joy but in giving to others in service, I've been replenished. So you think you have nothing to give or are you afraid to give yourself, take a cue from the widow at Zarepheth and you’ll realise that when “barely enough” is poured into God, it becomes “more than enough”.