Doggy Days

I walked out onto the porch this morning & as usual my dog raises her sleepy head with expectant eyes. I can see the questions in her eyes, "are you gonna pet me this time? Please, please!" If I don't she will sadly lay her head back down, but if I even speak that tail starts a thumping. If I pet her, oh lawdy, she's all over that! It's never enough! Oh she will moan & groan & talk to me, I can just see it in her body language that if I would just get down on that porch she would curl right up in my lap. If I try to leave she moves closer & paws at my leg begging to stay & keep petting her! She just loves the attention. She even likes to be sung to! A thought came to me while this exchange was going on between us that God, our Shepherd, our Master does the same thing for us except even more! He will always stop & pet us, let us curl up in his lap (even when we stink), talks to us, sing to us & unlike us he will never leave us or stop paying us attention. There are so many verses that tell us that he will never leave us, never forsake us but I'm just gonna tell you about some of my favorites. Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. I mean, how much love is that? He's got the whole world in his hands & yet he can love us each as we are so unconditionally. Hello, how many of us can do that? Ner one of us! I for one have a hard time loving period. With love comes trust. Both issues for me. How sad it is that instead of Jesus walking past & not petting me I'm the one walking past him instead of rubbing up against his legs like my cat does or pawing & begging for his attention like my dog. When I was gently petting her along her snout & above the eyebrows she finally just closed her eyes, took a deep breath & relaxed. She was completely at ease & loved. She felt safe & cared for. So easily loved. Why can't we or I do this? On one hand God is like our dog because he is so eager to love us unconditionally, he's justa thumping that tail & in another way he is like us in that he is our Master & wants us to be eager to be loved. He is trustworthy! Psalm 143:8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul. That is so God! God is so good! Makes me wanna shout, throw my hands up & shout, come on now & shout! I asked him what he wanted me & you to know about his love & that is the verse he showed me! I love it! Lets embrace it! In fact I am writing it on an index card & sticky notes, gonna lay it around, put it in my car to remind myself to pray this every morning! Join me!  

Lord, thank you that you love me so much that you sent your son to die for my sins, which are many. Thank you for loving me unconditionally & never leaving me.  Forgive me for not loving you & trusting you as much as I should. Thank you that you take great delight in me, that you quiet me with your love, & that you rejoice over me with singing. Zephaniah 3:17. Lord, help me to be more like my dog who thumps her tail just at the sound of my voice or my cat who rubs up against me just be near me. In Jesus name!

Undeservedly, unconditionally Loved!!!
Stephanie Goode