Journey of the Blue Bucket...

Today at my grandson's favorite spot to go, "the waterfall," he took his little blue pail that he likes to play with.  Of course being the good mawmaw I am, I thoroughly warned him if something happened and the bucket fell in the spring, we couldn't get it back.  Welp, you guessed it, before the day was over, the bucket fell into the waterfall spring.  My response, "I told you it would be lost." But as I watched the little bucket, God began to speak to my heart.

I watched as the bucket went down the waterfall, into the pool below and seemingly seemed to have enough air pocket to stay afloat and follow the current where it would come out to where I could reach it.  I began to rethink my stance. Then, as I watched the bucket slowed down and bumped into a patch of grass clippings and moss.  Oh well, I thought.  I watched as the bucket filled with water sitting there and disappeared from sight.  That was the end of that little bucket.....

But to my amazement the next time I looked, the bucket had resurfaced and was slowly moving toward the current.  Wow.  God spoke to my heart at that moment. The truth he spoke was that there are times in this walk with Him, that we are like that bucket.  It started out in the fountain of living water, moving rapidly, tumbling end of end as if it enjoyed the ride.  The little bucket even had a great start once it hit the pool.  Following the current and all seemed well.  As Christians, sometimes we are like that.  We get in the fountain of joy when we give our hearts completely to Jesus, then we follow the current along in this walk, and all is well and we are full of joy.  Then.

Then.. the mossy patch becomes our obstacle.  Progress is slowed and it may even look like the enemy has us down for the count.  But PRAISE GOD as we hang on and trust in Him, we resurface and head back into that stream of living water..... I was watching with great interest as the bucket approached the next waterfall to go into the next pool where I could reach it.... but.... but....alas....
It caught on a stump and would not budge.  It rocked and swayed but was stuck.  I watched for awhile and decided, it was too close to reaching to leave it so, what could I do but find a limb long enough to reach it to knock it off the stump.  God spoke that is how it looks when we see our brother and sister struggling and we combine our faith and in prayer and encouragement we help them overcome.

Oh No....when my bucket got started again, it went faster than I did and ended up in the running stream headed toward the river....sigh. now what.  Looking into my grandson's hopeful eyes, I waded into the stream and past overhanging branches and other obstacles to get the bucket.  Yes, we brought the bucket home, intact, no worse for the wear for its journey.  My heart though was given a visual of God's love for us and how He pursues and helps His children.

My prayer is as Jeremiah says, that I not forsake the fountain of living water for stagnant, broken cisterns..but that out of my belly fountains of living water will flow. (Jer 2:13  For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.) I pray that as the living water impacts the landscape around it at the spring, my life in Christ will impact the world around me.  My prayer is that as the woman at the well all find the  water that has no end. (Joh 4:10  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.)

I also gained hope and trust as I realize that God watches over us and that even when it seems all odds are against us succeeding in Him, HOLD ON, TRUST, and DON'T give up. It is not over until He says it is over.