When Steve & I first moved into our house we started taking walks around our neighborhood. We’d talk about his day at work, my day with the kiddos (I was watching 2 little ones for friends of ours), what we saw the Lord at work doing, hopes, dreams, frustrations, you name it. Often we would walk past a creek that runs under the road and disappears into the ground. One day as we walked by the babbling creek I casually said, “Hi Creek.” Not sure why, it just seemed the friendly thing to do.
A few years have gone by. We’ve taken many walks, just the two of us, while I was pregnant, two of us plus Evie, while I was pregnant again, and now with the four of us. More often than not, if we walk past the creek I’ll offer a friendly hello. I’ve even done it while on runs just by myself. Or if we happen to drive by it in the car.
Little Miss Evie has picked up on this. Now, when we go for a walk there’s usually a small voice adding, “Evie want to say ‘Hi, Creek.’” And so we walk past and she offers her hellos. Today was one of those days and while it was cold and windy we still made our way down to the creek. Evie was pushing Lucy in her car. I think it was one of the first times she got to peer over the railing for herself, not riding in the stroller. She talked about how the creek was pretty and that she wanted to play in it. I had to turn down that request, but her fondness for the creek makes me smile.
All because I decided to say hello to a small trickling of water, my daughter now requests to go see it. That is how it is with most things with kids. They pick up on someone doing it often enough that they start doing it too; the good and the bad.
It’s little things like this that give me hope. Though I do hope she and her sister see and imitate more of the good than the bad (though I do admit there have been a few times where Evie, out of the blue, has joyously said, “Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!” Oops). But it gives me hope that she is listening, that the things we’re trying to instill in her are there. That she hears us reading God’s Word, that she joins with us in singing hymns, that she sings “Jesus Loves Me” with confidence and will one day understand and accept just how true those words are.
So we’ll continue to take walks past the creek so she can say hello, and Lucy will soon, too. And we’ll continue to pray that the Holy Spirit would lead them both to the Living Water that never runs dry.
May you, dear friends, be blessed by the Living Water. If you haven’t said your “Hello” to Him today, now is as good a time as any.
Love & Blessings,
KJ
These Delight Filled Days 