Give a dog a bone…

The angel dog and the stray dog Baby have two distinct approaches to bones. Baby takes the bone and immediately settles into chewing it, usually under the coffee table.

The angel dog does not. He lays with his bone in his mouth and watches Baby. And he waits. You see, Baby will eventually leave a part of her bone unattended and the angel dog will swoop in, taking her sloppy bone remnant quickly onto the couch. Angel dog will then chew that bone remnant as fast as he can, and go back to taunting Baby with his original bone.

Here is the irony in the story. When there is no more bone, Baby simply moves on to play with her toys. She is not concerned with angel dog in the slightest, nor does she covet his bone. Angel dog, on the contrary, is obsessed with Baby and will growl if Baby even moves in his direction, just to protect his treasure.

What is your approach to the treasures in your life? Are you like Baby, completely focused, enjoying the moment and savoring the goodness of the treasure filled with happiness and perfectly content? Or are you like my angel dog, hoarding up your treasure, coveting what others have, filled with jealousy and discontent?

Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. Matthew 6:19‭-‬21 MSG

Did you catch it? Our treasure is Jesus. And heaven is our home. We are to be so heavenly minded that simple treasures here on earth do not matter. Y’all, nothing compares to the Glory that is to come!

So, I say enjoy those bones when they are handed out, glorifying your Father in heaven. And then move on because the best bone is yet to come!

Be hopeful!

Just Do You, Boo…

I am going to be honest. I watch a television show called Married at First Sight. I find it fascinating. A team of experts put couples together based on interviews and assessments. The couples literally meet for the first time at their weddings. It is a modern twist on arranged marriages and I find the show wildly addictive.

On a recent episode, one of the newlyweds made this statement to her husband, “just do you, boo.” This is not the first time I have heard this particular comment. It seems to me that “doing you” and “speaking your own truth” are prominent schools of thought in today’s culture. And I know that in many circumstances these comments are not intended to be anything more than a mindless statement of support and encouragement. Sort of a verbal way of leveling the playing field. However, we are living in a culture of me, myself and I. And is it really okay to just “do you boo” even at the cost of someone else? And where does this “truth” you are speaking truly come from?

Jesus said to him, I am the Way, and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6 ESV).

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31‭-‬32 ESV

We are called to follow Christ’s example and he spoke truth in love. We can find absolute truth in the words of our Father written to us in His Word. Our truth comes from Him and His Word, not some watered down version of the truth that the world hands to us. And definitely not our own version of the truth. There is simply one way, one truth and one life.

I would say “do you boo”; if, and only if, that you is a reflection of the Father and is derived from obedience to His word and His calling for your life. You see, you are completely made new in your identity in Christ and you absolutely should be the you that Christ created you to be! He made you for a specific purpose, reason and season!

Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15:5‭-‬8 NIV)

Be hopeful!

Take a Break….

You may have noticed that I took a summer sabbatical from writing. Honestly, last spring brought some unexpected challenges for me and my family and I found myself entering into summer feeling a bit depleted and definitely in need of some soul tending. So, I decided to take a step back from a few things, dig into His Word, and focus my energy on my family and the day to day flow of summer. Crazy, right? How often do we allow God to grab our attention and listen to His voice when He instructs us to take a break, take a deep breath and get back to the basics?

I have been reminded this summer of the importance of finding restoration in the stillness of God. And I realized that often we allow the business of involvements and life in general to keep us on the surface, placing band aids on things in life that require a little deeper healing. In the process, we keep God at arms length; instead of allowing Him to lean in and tend to our needs.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. Psalms 23:1‭-‬3 ESV

Did you notice the language here in this Psalm? He makes me lie down. He leads me beside still waters. Then, He restores my soul. What a lesson God is giving us here! When was the last time you took a step back and intentionally laid down and allowed your Father to tend to and restore your soul? Or are you allowing the day to day business of life to continue to deplete and chip away at your soul?

Take a break today and allow God to speak to you. He will lead you. He will restore you. He will tend to your every need. You see…

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalms 23:6 ESV

Be hopeful!