Like Sidewalk Chalk

My little one is loving sidewalk chalk. She's not alone...I've seen lots of pictures of her toddler friends decorating their own driveways with the chalky goodness.

She loves saying the initial sounds of family members' names. P-P-Papa! D-D-Dada! A-A-Alie! You get the point....Her favorite chalk activity is to say someone's name and have me write their letter. She hands me the egg-shaped chalk (our favorite--great for toddler hands to grab onto and it makes bold strokes on the cement!), nodding, and administers my orders for which name I should write.

We filled our whole back patio right outside our door with family initials. Everytime we went somewhere, Q would race to her chalk drawings and start pointing at the letters, wanting us to read them to her. This has gone on over a week.

Yesterday night it rained. When she went out this morning she was a little confused as to where her letters had gone. I didn't really address it, thinking later in the day we'd do some more chalk and rewrite what had washed away.

This afternoon I was cooking and turned on some vintage Caedmon's Call to sing along with while I worked. A song that had never been one of my favorites grabbed my attention today. Especially this part.....

A wise man once told me
When I was dying just the same
The past can be like sidewalk chalk
If you will dance and pray for rain

Wow....of course my mind instantly fled outside to our back patio, now washed clean. I've never thought of my sins as sidewalk chalk and forgiveness as rain, but in my Mommy world of toddlerdom, it makes such clear sense. And the best part? I can even explain it to my 19 month-old....she knows exactly what rain does to sidewalk chalk.

I can't keep this image out of my mind.....because as many times as Q and I chalk up that back patio, the rain will was it away every time. But God requires a little something extra...He asks for me to "dance and pray for rain." Yikes I need to hear that. I need some major rain on my chalky self. And I want my little one to see this pattern in me, sorrow over my sin, asking for forgiveness, and being washed clean. And the dancing? That's when the dancing comes....because God is more faithful than the crazy Texas rain. He will flood me every time I ask.

I hope sidewalk chalk can take on a new light for you as it has for us this week.

Here's another verse of the song, which I can't leave out:

You fear you’ve walked too far
In the hemlock forest and you are lost
But what error could you invent
With more power than the cross




FORGET WHAT YOU KNOW
Caedmon's Call