Bumping into Jesus

Last week my youngest girls unwittingly painted a beautiful portrait of spiritual refreshment on our dirty kitchen floor. Hannah had just filled a cup to the brim with ice cold water when Maggie raced through the kitchen where her big sister stood sipping. Too busy bustling to notice the seven-year-old obstacle in her way, Maggie bumped full speed into Hannah’s knees.

The unexpected jolt jiggled Hannah’s cup of water and  promptly overflowed it onto Maggie’s small blond head. Though I expected a shrill cry of frustration, Maggie surprised me by merely tilting her sticky chin upward in curiosity. When she spotted Hannah’s red plastic cup, Maggie’s eyes lit with  a sudden sense of understanding.

Grinning, my youngest took two steps back and purposefully ploughed into Hannah’s knees once again. This time, Maggie poised herself for the spillover and danced in the overflow.  Contagious belly laughs bubbled from the depths of her toddler tummy. Eyes sparkling, Hannah added giggles to the sweet melody rising from the playful puddles on the kitchen floor.  I stood silently in the doorway watching the unplanned fun. By the time the water fest was over, my two girls looked like they’d just been caught in a cloudburst.

As I soaked the water off of the kitchen floor with an old garage towel, I realized just how similar I can be to my bustling little girl. Though I long to live with contemplative deliberateness, I often race through my day, oblivious to the One who stands nearby with a full cup. Like Maggie, I am often narrowly focused on my mission of the moment.

While Hannah’s cup contained only water, my Savior’s cup brims with everything my thirsty soul needs to be satisfied. What if, like Maggie, I bumped into Jesus in the midst of my daily routine? Not by chance, but by choice.  What if I took time to notice Him quietly standing in my midst as I wipe bottoms and  floors and fingers? What if by dropping to my knees I could collide with His?