Colorful

I have worn colorful clothes my whole life. Except a brief time as a child when I thought wearing all white would help me turn into a rabbit... 

When my oldest daughter was five years old she was in a Christmas program at school, and she was afraid I would miss it. This was understandable as I’m a forgetful person. However, I’m a high-functioning forgetful person due to a long standing habit of writing important things on my hand. Thanks to that acquired skill, I did make it to the Christmas program, but unfortunately as my daughter scanned the audience for her colorful mother, my beaming face didn’t catch her eye. Her teacher found her crying after the performance and asked what was wrong. My daughter answered, “My mommy missed the program!”  “No she didn’t, honey,” her teacher responded. “I saw her in the audience. She was wearing a black shirt.” At this, my daughter cried even harder and said, “That couldn’t have been my mommy— she never wears black!” 

I was wearing the only black shirt I owned at the time. It had big white dandelions on it. I wore it with a colorful striped skirt that’s always reminded me of a circus tent, tall red boots and a yellow coat, so that makes a lot more sense. But from where my daughter was sitting, only the black shirt was visible. 

Thinking back on that scene, it reminds me of moments when I didn’t notice the goodness of God in my life—times when I didn’t feel His presence. I think sometimes that happens because I’m human and can’t always see the sparkling threads of goodness that God manages to weave even in the midst of dark circumstances. Those times call for faith. But other times the threads are clearly visible and I miss out on them because I’m looking for something different, something flashier. And if I get in the habit of overlooking God’s presence and His good gifts when they’re dressed differently than I was expecting, I do begin to live like a girl whose parent didn’t show up. 

Blessings to you today as you continue to look for the sparkling threads of God’s goodness in your life. 

~ Amy