My Dog Says..."Stay Home"

Do you ever feel as if you are meeting yourself coming and going?
When Monday morning rolls around you," think where did the weekend go?"
Do you feel like the proverbial hamster on the wheel?

This has been my season of "run,run,run." I'm sure the Lord feels as if He can't even run fast enough to catch up with me.  Why do I do that to myself?  Why do I over commit?  Why am I gone 4 out of 5 nights from home?  Then the weekend is upon me and that's a whole other agenda of busyness.

Saturday evening as I was walking our dogs before leaving for church I was sent a message loud and clear.  Our 5 year old Jack Russell Terrier named Lizzie Borden walked over to the passenger side car door and sat down.  I proceeded to gently tug on her leash to encourage her to follow me to the house.
She would have none of it!!

She looked at me with the saddest expression in her eyes.  It touched my heart.  It is as if she said,"if you are getting in this car once again and leaving me once again I don't think I can bear it.  I so want to be with you and I will just sit by this car door until you tell me you want to be with me too.

I could hear God saying "Tell her Lizzie! She treats me the same way Lizzie.  I am like an after thought to her somedays too.  I am still trying to get her to understand and commit to me first."

I really have trouble with the passage from Psalm 46:10,  " Be still and know that I am God"   However, thanks to Lizzie's wake-up call, I am more aware than ever that I need to slow down and re-align my priorities.

Stay tuned, I'll let you know how it's going...

God is Good

  On Easter, during his message, Ron discussed the sacrifice of Christ and used Abraham as an example of how God will provide.  As Abraham and Isaac were walking up the mountain to offer their sacrifice, Isaac asked “Where is the Lamb for the sacrifice?”  Abraham replied, “God Himself will provide the Lamb.”  God blessed Abraham with insight to trust Him and faith to prophesy about the coming of Christ.  I was humbled as I was reminded, once again, that I have been blessed by His provision. 

It hasn’t been easy for me, you see, I am a planner.  I have lists, calendars, and schedules.  I am not worried about tomorrow; I have it planned.  I have always tried to plan my life, to be a responsible person and not cause others any problems because I wasn’t prepared.  I plan for the future because I always have, it is natural for me.   So when I hear that “God will provide,” I have a tendency to say “I know, but just let me finish with my plan.” 

If you are a “Planner” you can relate.  I try to trust God to take care of tomorrow, but it is hard to step out of character.  I find it hard to picture life without knowing where I will be tomorrow, let alone next week or next month.  Hearing those words, “God will provide” can cause a “Planner” to hyperventilate.  So, now you know my secret battle.  How do I let God be in control while still planning for the future? 

Little by little, God has worked with me on this.  But I am not like my husband, who keeps saying, “Relax and just trust God, He will provide.”  That may be easy for him, the man who usually can’t remember where his calendar is, let alone check it, but I have struggled with this aspect of faith.  I have learned though that it isn’t a matter of not planning, but rather making room for God to act.  In this journey of faith, scripture has really helped.  In Proverbs 16:9 it says, “A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.”  So I have learned to take comfort in my plans, but not to be disappointed when God takes me down paths I wasn’t expecting,which has happened many times in my life of faith.

Hopefully, if you are a planner, you will take comfort in this and learn with me to seek God’s paths along your journey of faith.  I pray daily that God will show me His way and that, by necessity, makes me alter my plans, but I am good with that because I know God is good and has good things in store for me.  He promises in Jeremiah 29:11, “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” 

May God continue to bless us as we walk deeper in our journey of faith together.

Tammie