I've been sitting on the deck this morning just listening to what all is going on in the world. I was listening to the rain fall in the darkness and the different noises it made as it fell on different surfaces. I was listening to the flocks of black birds as they flew over on their trek south for the approaching winter. I was also listening to the kittens as they chased their tails and each other all over the deck. I was and still am listening to some calm music on the iPod. I was excitedly listening to Cindy as she told me about her plans for the day. And in the midst of all that I've even been listening to what Daddy is saying to me about all that I'm hearing this morning. The ability to listen and hear is an amazing sense. I've grown to appreciate it more and more over the last few years as I've learned to hear God's voice in the day to day experiences of life.
The main thing that began to come to clarity this morning was the difference between my cats and my dogs. We are blessed to have three of each ya know. I really love the dogs and tolerate the cats or kittens, as they are now. My favorite dog is doing what she loves the most even now... laying beside me in the recliner as I type this. Her name is Bandit for those interested, she earned that name for two reasons. 1. She has black mask around her eyes and 2. She steals my heart with her love and devotion to me. I rescued her last winter from behind Panera Bread in Conway. She had been run over and was laying on the side of the street with the temperature hovering in the low 20's. I put my gloves and coat on to pick her up and I'm glad I did. She bit me more times than I could count as I moved her from the ground to the back seat of the truck. It took over a week to get to the place of being able to pet her without being eaten. I spent a lot of time just sitting in the floor beside her talking to her and giving her treats to let her know that she was safe and that I wasn't going to hurt her. You're probably wondering why that's important to this blog and with that I'll convey what it is that Daddy was so excited to tell me this morning.
Drawing, wooing... we use those words to describe our actions or the actions of another to gently and patiently convince another to come to us. That's the first lesson He was reminding me of... that He is always drawing me to Himself. Sometimes for some lap time, other times its for discipline, others for some direction, others for some teaching, and still other times just for the joy of being together. That's an awesome testimony of God's work to me! I, for so long viewed my relationship to Him as something official and devoid of emotion or feeling. NOT ANYMORE! I am so glad to be able to say that! He's my Daddy and He loves spending time with me! I hope you, the reader, can say the same thing or are at least coming to that place of realization.
So why is it that I miss this drawing so often in my life? That's where the difference between my dogs and cats began to sneak up on me. Side-note... God's got another name that wasn't ever listed in the Bible... Jehovah-Sneaky! He has this amazing way of sneaking some pretty cool truths into our lives from the simplest of things... sneaky I tell ya! Anyway, back to my thought... Jackie, one of the other dogs rescued, our Jack Russel and Bandit were both sitting in my lap on the deck this morning and I was simply amazed at the attention they were paying to my movements. They followed my hand with their eyes and when it stopped they would position their head near it for some scratching and loving. Jackie just came and got in my lap again... not because I called her but because its a place she loves to be. This just keeps getting more juicy. I am their master, their owner... the one they trust. I've invested the time in them to make it so and they respond to me in a manner that brings a smile to my face. The cats on the other hand are more interested in their own agenda. They won't come no matter how I woo them. They pause long enough from their endeavor to glance my way and then go back to playing. The dogs have learned something the cats have not... the master's touch makes life better! The scratching, the petting... its just awesome!
Now I am faced with a stark reality in my life... there have been a lot of times when I was more like those cats than I was the dogs. I am, however, learning the same lesson the dogs know... life is awesome when your in the Master's lap with His hands expressing the love that is flowing from His heart. That's what His touch is all about... the manifestation of the love He has for me and you in His heart. So what do I do with this revelation of sneakiness? I press forward asking for an increased desire in my heart to spend time in Daddy's lap and I pray for ears to hear the voice of my Father as He draws my attention toward Him. I can't dwell on the times that I missed the drawing because of my agenda or my soul will despair and that is counter productive to God's work in my life. No! I press forward with a new found desire to go boldly into Dad's throne room so I can sit in His lap and be loved on! That is what steals His heart ya know. Want to come with me?
No comments:
Post a Comment