I adopted a dog a few days before Christmas last year. After losing my sweet fur baby, Zoey, in June, my remaining pup, Zeek. needed companionship. With Zoey gone, he was beginning to have anxiety attacks, tearing up my carpet, chewing my door frames, constantly bloodying his feet. Zoey was all he’d ever known, and he was distraught without her. I knew how he felt, so my heart went out to him.
It’s my birthday this week! I have more years behind me than I do ahead. I’m at a place in life where I’m free to do anything I want and go wherever I please. But, as with life, there is a push and pull, a beauty and an ugliness, life and death.
“Outside of the cross of Jesus Christ, there is no hope in this world. That cross and resurrection at the core of the Gospel is the only hope for humanity. Wherever you go, ask God for wisdom on how to get that Gospel in, even in the toughest situations of life.” Ravi Zacharias, Founder RZIM
If you saw the unfolding story of 22-month-old Kenneth Howard, surely you were as heavy hearted as I. He wandered away from his Kentucky home on Mother’s Day late in the day. Darkness would soon cover the wooded terrain. How in the world would they ever find a tiny toddler in a dark forest with overgrown mining operations nearby? And how would that poor baby survive alone in the dark? As a mom, I was heartsick thinking about his tiny self, alone and afraid. But God.
While I know we don’t want our kids to spend their money on us, let them! Though we’d lay down our lives for our children and never ask for a thank you, I encourage you to receive those precious words. Bring on all the handcrafted creations, personal shopping choices, dinner plans, flowers … all the tokens of gratitude and appreciation big or small! Let’s face it, mothers get one day a year. Let’s make the most of it!
I hear/read Bible verses all the time. I’m in awe that God’s word is multi-faceted, living, breathing, and always current. Over the years I’ve discovered that, while Scripture can be literal and figurative, it also speaks of the spirit realm and our physical reality. Scripture never fails to reveal something new (to me) about the power, purpose, and love of God.
I was talking with God about a specific need to understand why I can’t seem to be motivated or focused on the tasks at hand. I feel easily overwhelmed, and I let that feeling paralyze me. Flashes of fear grab at my thought life, so I decide I can’t do this or that. I let my emotions rule me versus me ruling my emotions. I make excuses.
New life is breaking through the dormant soil in the flower beds. The trees are coming alive with green, some with blooms. I hear lawnmowers and weed eaters and smell cut grass. Birds are building nests, and their sweet chirping is a joyous sound. The neatly planted farm fields fill the air with the fragrance of freshly tilled earth. New beginnings surround us taking shape with color, sounds, and smells.
There’s something I want you to do today. It’s a kind, gentle act of love. Stop for a few minutes and find somewhere quiet, somewhere private, so you can be honest with yourself and not worry about what anyone else will think. Grab a pen, a sheet of paper, and maybe even a couple of tissues. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and let God love on you for a moment.
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