Imitate the Sponge … Hello on this 2nd weekend of May! A heart-felt “thank you” to my mom and all the moms and those who stepped into being a mom to someone who didn’t have one. You are loved and honored on this Mother’s Day.

Moms have a unique was of being spongy. I’m not talking about “the fatty stuff” that seems to accumulate ‘you-know-where’ as we get older; I’m talking about a mother’s ability to soak it in without letting it destroy them. Let’s face it, both moms and dads go through a lot to raise kids, or to help other kids if they don’t have their own (Al & I relate to that). So, I thought you may enjoy some excerpts I put together based on a Max Lucado devotion about being more of a sponge instead of a rock!

Think about this: You will never go where God is not. Envision the next few hours of your life. Where will you find yourself? In a school? God indwells the classroom. On the highways? God’s presence lingers among the traffic. In the hospital operating room, the executive boardroom, the in-laws’ living room, the funeral home? God will be there. “God is not far from each one of us.” (Acts 17:27).

That means each of us—even those who don’t believe in God! One of the delights of our God is that there are no playing favorites. From the masses on the city avenues to the isolated villagers in valleys and jungles, ALL people can enjoy God’s presence. Sadly, many don’t. They plod through life as if there were no God to love them. As if their only strength was their own. As if the only solution comes from within, not above. They live Godless lives.

But there are those “Mary & Josephs” among us: people who sense, see, and hear the presence of God. Take Moses for instance: When suddenly tasked with the care of two million ex-slaves, the liberator began to wonder, “How am I going to provide for these people? How will we defend ourselves against enemies? How can we survive?” Moses needed supplies, managers, equipment, and experience. But when Moses prayed for help, he declared, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.” (Ex. 33:15). In other words, Moses preferred to go nowhere with God than anywhere without him.

That brings me to the “Mary & Josephs” – my mom and my dad. Trying for 8 years to have children, they opted for adoption and took twins! (A ‘magic 8’ years later fertility happened and I have a younger brother and sister!) My folks gave us a grounding of faith and the example of a Godly mother and father. But it went further than that, they did it for others as well. Growing up in a resort, my folks worked their butt offs, and like a sponge, they cleaned off the bad and soaked up the good and shared it with others—and my mom is still doing that today…dad is now conducting the bass section in the heavenly choir!

Growing up in a resort as a kid was a lot of work (we had a bar and restaurant) but also a lot of fun…boyfriends all summer long, water skiing, fishing, hunting, etc. The down side was the problem-people; we had to learn to soak in the good from them and let the bad go. After all, they most likely thought the same of us! Mom told us to be like Jesus no matter what, tall order for a kid but oh, what a grounding of ‘faith-in-practice!’

Max tells us we have to ‘do likewise’ and make God’s presence our passion. How? Again, this is where the sponge idea comes in – we need to be more sponge and less rock. Put it this way: place a rock in the ocean, and what happens? Its surface gets wet. The exterior may change color, but the interior remains untouched. But put a sponge in the ocean and notice the change. It absorbs the water. The ocean penetrates every pore and alters the essence of the sponge. I think about my growing up at the resort and I honestly have to say that to this day, what I “absorbed” remains a precious guiding light as I work with all kinds of people and try to emulate my upbringing of loving even the un-lovables!

Max reminds us that “God surrounds us in the same way the Pacific surrounds an ocean floor pebble. God is everywhere – above, below, on all sides. We choose our response – rock or sponge? Resist or receive? Everything within you says harden the heart. Run from God; resist God; blame God. But be careful. Hard hearts never heal. Spongy ones do! Open every pore of your soul to God’s presence.”

Max’s devotion reminded me of my mom, who, at 93, continues to absorb the good and share it with others. She lives always in God’s presence and she’ll tell you that she has great conversations with “her Jesus” – as if He was right in the room. I know this because our whole life another chair was always set at the table for the “unseen host” – maybe Jesus himself—or whomever Jesus may send our way which happened often at the resort. And it was then my folks were able to share Christian love and acceptance to the “whomever” that needed it!

Oh Holy Spirit, help us to soak up your presence, that we may shine your love to others rather than being a hard rock that may shine on the outside but is stone-cold on the inside. May each of us step up to “mother” or “father” another in need. Help us to be a cooling sponge of Jesus’ Living Water in a dry and thirsty world, AMEN.