Which kind of animal do you most look up to, friend?
When my dog ran to greet me as I arrived home, I questioned him with exasperation, “Aren’t you ever going to lay an egg or DO something useful?”
The next day, my alarm blared earlier than my preference. I was up, busy (Of course!). My dog lay curled up in his comfy bed, his little eyes still closed.
“Wake up, Wake up!” I yelled at him.
Join people in over fifty countries who read this to gain valuable life wisdom! (Or maybe they’re just laughing at me? . . . Whatever!)
“How are you going to get all the things on your list done today, if you’re lying there, asleep for such a long time?” I asked my dog. And then I remembered that “Lie down and sleep for a while” WAS one of the items on my dog’s to-do list. And so, these thoughts got me perseverating on the fact that ALL of my pets (a dog AND a bunny) are completely useless!
Why did we have all the useless animals?
My friends have goats, chickens, and things that actually DO something!
And then, the next day, as we were driving home, our dog climbed onto my daughter’s lap as we drove silently. My daughter and I were pondering the discouraging news we just received. Our dog seemed to lick her a little more often.
I don’t know why.
Maybe because she was a little more ready to receive his love that day? She realized she needed an extra hug. She brought him with her to her seat, after all, instead of leaving him in the backseat, where he often sits, waiting for someone to notice him so he can love them.
And as we drove home that day, I remembered that loving others IS actually the most productive thing we can do in a day.
And so, perhaps, maybe my pets aren’t COMPLETELY useless.
These thoughts unintentionally reminded me of that season in our church when we got a LOT of things right. But I forgot to love people QUITE as well as I had in past seasons, I realized later.1 I may have taken them for granted a bit, remembering they would always be there in the backseat, ready to love me when I needed it (They were).
Our dog is the one who (irritatingly) seems to remember the most important things.
I, however, unfortunately, seem incapable of learning this lesson, but my interactions with my dog this week were ANOTHER STOP sign, it seemed, that God was placing in front of me, hoping I would notice.
Could it be that Holy Spirit is sitting right there next to my mini-goldendoodle, or your dog or cat or bunny or other useless animal you notice out your window, willing to offer a crumb of His love to any of us who notice him?
While I was trying harder and doing more, there was a yawning emptiness under it all that no amount of activity, Christian or otherwise, could fill.
(Oh! And the joy comes after we remember these most essential things.)
. . . in your presence there is fullness of joy . . .
So that’s why I’m going to try to be more like my dog (or my bunny) a little more often this week and a little less frequently, a reflection of my friend’s (helpful!) goat.
How about you?
Oh! And by the way, doggy love changes the world and culture, too! Proven HERE in the news this week.
You’re welcome!
Good luck!
As the song below plays, consider asking God – What is the ONE most important priority to focus on this week? What is one small step you can take to remember this priority item? (And may you give and receive a little more love from your furry friends – or even God! – this week, friend.)
Thanks for liking me! I like you too! – Proven HERE, HERE, and HERE! Let’s journey together!
Photo Credits – My AWESOME Dog by ME, Need Some Love? by Helena Lopes on Unsplash, and Did You Stop For The MOST Important Things? by Juli Kosolapova on Unsplash, My AWESOME Bunny by ME.
1 Although it was mostly their fault.
Restoring Life 