Looking for What's Hidden

Look closely.  There - do you see it?

That little cat, hanging out at the garage.  He's got it pretty good, this cat.  He and a sibling were rescued strays, who now enjoy a safe and interesting environment, along with good food and care.

But if you just glance at the picture, you miss it.

And that's how we are with what is good.  We miss it.  Maybe you don't, but I do.  Sometimes I pay attention to headlines about the Depravity of Man and despair.  I hear about terrorism and I fear.  I read (and write) not so kind comments on social media and am filled with regret and wounded pride and feelings.

But - happily - there is more.  There is goodness.  Certainly there are good, courageous people who are selfless and kind.  Certainly there are headlines that are redemptive.  Of course, there are always cat videos.

Is that enough?

Not for me. 

Hanging your hopes on the basic goodness of mankind will only lead to disappointment.  Sure, it exist.  In small amounts.  And only in small doses.

Likely, you need more too.

The Lord's love endures forever.  Far from being hard for us to know, He draws near to those who draw near to Him.  He is not distant.  He makes His perfect love known in loving ways.  Despite our imperfections and feeble efforts to win the love of God, He redeems our shortcomings through Christ.  Trusting in Jesus never fails.  It is proof.  It is rest.  It is freedom.

You just have to look for it.

"It Takes a Big Dog..."

....to weigh a ton."

My husband used to say this somewhat obvious, yet meaningless phrase.  It was something he said as filler in a conversation.  It generally drew looks of confusion, nervous laughter, and a change of subject.

Which is exactly what Darren hoped for.

Tug sometimes generates the same reaction.

He's a big dog.  Other dogs look at him with confusion, a cautionary tail wag, or turning their focus toward that toy they misplaced somewhere in the back of their run.

Yet when he's here at the kennel, he's gentle, obedient and only politely curious about the other dogs.  But he's HUGE compared to the other dogs.  Here's his paw compared to my size 7 foot.

How often do I jump to conclusions from the outward appearance of another person (or a dog)?  We all do it.  We understand why often (huge dog=scary), but that doesn't mean it's okay.  In other words, "Understandable doesn't mean it's acceptable."  I need to remind myself that perception is not reality. 

Sometimes truth is the same way - it looks one way, but it is actually another.  It requires work, research, and reflection to consider what is true as opposed to we "feel."

"For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” (I Samuel 16:7).  In a world and culture that does all in its power to deceive, obfuscate, and corrupt, each of us need to remember that only God's word is timeless and unchanging.  There, we can find truth that is not a restriction and kill-joy, but one that is the prescription of the best way to live.  God doesn't demand we follow His rules.  Instead, He's given us something we can choose to follow - as a gift from a loving Father.

It's a time to be diligent for the truth and kind in all things.  Fill yourself up with Jesus, and love will come right back out - but only His pure, perfect love, not our stinky conditional kind.

If you're driving down the road, and see this face looking back at you, don't be afraid.  Things aren't always what they seem, either in the side mirror or straight ahead.  Check the plum line of God's word for unchanging truth.

A Bounty of Gifts

Every Thursday morning, Tilly often accompanies me to the local community center (she stays in the car during Zumba, though I'm sure she'd like to join in).  Since they are not allowed to sell stuffed animals, Tilly is the happy recipient of some of the larger stuffed animals.

The lady who keeps them back for her enjoys giving them to Tilly, due to the excessive and enthusiastic response by Tilly.  She can't say thank you enough.

Last week, I heard a teaching on how complaining demonstrates a lack of gratitude in what God has given us.  It was a week long series and let's just say it hit home.  For November, I'm trying to reform my complaining ways.  It's tough to give up something I'm so very good at it.  But if it takes 6 weeks to form new habits, I'm starting right now.  Focusing on gratitude shouldn't be so hard, when we live somewhere that has so many amazing privileges.  Seriously, the question should be, "Where do I begin when considering how I'm blessed?"

Often, we destroy the good things we're given by.....enjoying them too much....sort of like ripping the stuffing out of them.  It destroys the gift in the way in which it was originally intended.

Do you see where I'm going here?  I thought so. 

'Nuff said.

Help for the Blind

This is Flip and Bentley (hi Flip! hi Bentley!).

It's hard to get a good shot on two dogs on the move!  Flip, the dachshund, is blind.  But Bentley, the shih-Tzu, lets Flip know when and where to go.  Below, Bentley intervenes before Flip walks into a fence.

Blind dogs are not uncommon and I've owned one myself.  They can be a lot of work so they do not harm themselves.  Flip, to his credit, is still a happy dog who seems mostly unaware that he could be heading for disaster if Bentley wasn't there, looking out for him.

I'm thankful for the Bentley's in my life.  Those brave souls who've told me I was heading for a dead end, a brick wall - use whatever metaphor you want.  Perhaps you've had a friend like that as well.

One metaphor that has stuck with me is how God's Word is the "plum line" of faith.  When we don't know if we are off course, His ways will let us know.  Do we doubt His love?  His Faithfulness?  His love endures forever.  He wants what is best for us, even if we are oblivious to the danger.  How often are we attracted to something/someone/some concept that is in fact, a deceit that brings us harm?  It is a kindness to be corrected, even if it is not fun and even embarrassing. 

Bentley and Flip will hopefully be good friends for a long time to come.  But sometimes our friends do fail us.  But God is unchangeable and eternal.  We can always run to Him.

Entertain Me

Tilly got bored quickly this morning.

Not only did she not get to go on my quick car errand, I didn't fill her favorite cube toy with food when she wanted me to.  She's bossy that way.  Look at that shameless plea for attention.

Parents often hear "I'm bored" from their children.  But aren't we the same?  Don't we flit from thing to thing so we don't get bored?  Sometimes our sense of duty and purpose demands we stay busy.  Too many of us buy the lie that if we are busy, we must be important. 

The Bible gets misused a lot, but no one misquotes "Be Still" or claims an attribute of God as the "Holy Multitasker."

Each morning, my mind fills with things I need to do today.  It can be overwhelming and the tyranny of the immediate threatens to crush the joy of living right out of me.  If I'm fortunate, I'll remember to be still.  I'll remember that each task I do is tied to a blessing - my clothes needing to be washed (aren't I fortunate to own that many socks) - the kennel dog bowls (what a blessing my business has been) and even the cat and dog bowls in the house (the cats and dog entertain and comfort me - usually).

Constantly being on the run doesn't mean you are more virtuous than others.  If you work from dawn to dusk, it will not earn you God's favor.  Some of us don't have a choice but to address needs and demands that fill our days.  One of my favorite stories is how John Wesley's mother handled her very full house of ten children when she needed to seek God.  She simply flipped her apron over her face and prayed.  The family knew to leave her alone.  And it worked - she produced some pretty amazing kids that influenced the culture.

Lives get out of balance quickly.  Our day gets away from us despite our best intentions.  But we don't have to let our to-do lists take us away from what is most important.

Today find your quiet place to seek God. 

Abiding The Differences

This is Tony the cat (hi Tony!)

Of the many cats that I've boarded over the years, he is the most loving.  When the dogs are outside and I let him out to stretch and explore, he immediately rolls onto his side for some affection.

Tony also has a thing for water.  Basically, he likes to drink from any bowl (or bucket) that is not HIS water bowl.  He also is fascinated by the hose that fills the water pitcher.  Fascinated.

Some may call Tony weird.  After all, he has a water bowl.  Isn't that good enough for him?  Does Tony have boundary issues?  Tony is NOT following the normal order of things.

Maybe you know people like Tony. Maybe you are Tony.  One doesn't have to look far to notice others have their own way of doing things, and some of them are pretty weird.  There's a lot of uniqueness in the world, and it may make someone uneasy to experience differences.

It reminded me of our pastor's sermon from this past week.  He challenged us to seek people who think, look, and act differently from our norm.  Wait, what?  Leave my comfort zone?  Where did THAT come from?

Oh, you know.  Galatians.  Galatians 2:11 to be more specific.  If you don't know it, there's this guy named Paul going to see his friend Peter.  They have been busy telling people all about Jesus and giving them good news for freedom and forgiveness.  But Peter started to feel some peer pressure and went back to his old ways.  Somehow bearing another's differences suddenly felt unsafe.  Let's just say Paul set him straight.

It's easily done.  We talk a big game about being accepting and tolerating.  Then we encounter someone and love flies out the window.  Dealing with others can be messy.  And difficult.  And really uncomfortable.  

Which is great, because God really likes to work in those situations when we are not in control and all-knowing.  We can still stand on truth and all that good stuff.  But learning from others, and them learning from our own brokenness and imperfections, is the humble attitude where we can be naturally supernatural.

So don't be afraid.  Get out there and be challenged and may God go before you.

Keep Your Cool

To think one of the reasons the boarding kennel was closed this summer was over concerns the air conditioning unit wouldn't make it through the season.  Considering the only dates the a/c in the house has been run was mid-may and now September 4, it's fair to say that fear was unnecessary (as most fears are).

But right now, we've had over a week of high 80s and high humidity.  Finally, summer has arrived, right when the schools are back - just as we all knew it would.

 

 

Tilly has been hiking the state parks this summer (with me), and our criteria lately has been access to water so she can cool off.  (Note to self:  bring retractable leash so I am not left on shore doing awkward balance poses.)



 

Keeping cool is important, physically, mentally and spiritually.  In case  you didn't notice, our little old country is becoming more and more shrill.  We look at each other, shake our heads, and think "the other guy" most be at best ignorant, and at worst, a monster.

 

When we post snarky things and comments that run down "the others", we may have a few people slap our backs and congratulate us.  And I know.  I've done that.  I like being snarky and sometimes I am even good at it.  But when we read someone who we don't agree with doing the same, some how it hurts.  A witty response that cuts someone off at the knees feels good.  For a moment.  Then you realize you've left the person without their lower legs.  And that's bad.

 

I've really paid attention lately to how I physically react when I read something alarming, disappointing, or hurtful.  Sometimes it's like someone just wanted to stick their tongue out at me or stick their finger in my eye.  It is unpleasant, to say the least.  Do I want to do that to someone else?  What's the point of winning the argument and losing their heart?

 

I don't want to do that anymore.  Even if it's not fun.  Even if I will not appear clever.  Even if it feels like sometimes I am just one big divine kill joy.  Hurting others I care about (and even those I don't care about) is not worth the cost of a "go girl" attaboy (um, can those words go together?).

 

Let's keep our cool out there.  There is much to divide us, and little to unite us.  But, let's remember when we start to view each other as the enemy (which, make no mistake, many people of all stripes wish us to do), all of us lose.

 

We have to scratch the surface, and go deeper.  Fact check the sound byte.  Check the state of your heart.  Most importantly, don't buy the lie that the other person is your enemy.  We're not all going to agree and we don't have to.  That's the beauty of it, isn't?

 

"Love one another" isn't a squishy statement Jesus said while patting the heads of his disciples.  He knew it was going to get ugly out there.  With His power, we can disagree without being disagreeable.  Because that's what it looks like when real love wins.