Sadie is no stranger to the kennel and really likes me. Millie warmed up to me after a day or so. Roxie...well, Roxie resisted love.
She wanted to trust me, but something kept her from it. At first, she growled as soon as she heard me enter the kennel. When she saw Sadie happily wagging her tail and receiving affection, she became curious. She would circle me, sneaking up behind me to see if I passed the sniff test (dog criteria, not people). With every visit, she got closer and closer. Sadly, though, Roxie never bridged the gap to let me give her some lovin's.
Opening our hearts and allowing hope into our lives are huge hurdles. Often, it must become a conscious decision to try. It amazes me how a person can continue to hope, despite constant disappointments. Yet isn't it the only way to live?
We can live small, not taking any chances like Roxie. We can move cautiously like Millie. Or, we can love with abandon like Sadie.
I worry about being able to recover from a broken heart. Then I remember that each time it's happened, whether a person or circumstance, God has rebuilt me with an even better, more loving heart. Allowing God to work like this, giving me a strength, hope and love that is beyond my own capacity, is a work truly of His limitless, mysterious power.
I don't want to live a safe life. That's boring and it's hardly living. I'd rather take my chances to experience love, which is another amazing way to experience God.
What keeps you from love? What do you do to restore trust in yourself and others?
this is something i thought today as i realized it's time for me to stop running from stuff be it trust, anxiety, fear, etc. anyway, here goes, this is what came to me . . .
ReplyDeleteWhen you climb right into the middle of your pain, only then can you truly climb out of the pain.
I don't know might mean nothing, but to me it's a reminder - "The Joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10 - so we need not hide from it.