Tag Archives: Dogs

Laughing

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I found myself laughing when I shouldn’t have. The comic strip wasn’t all that funny, but my day had been pretty boring up until that point, so the little dog pretending to line up a putt on the famous Augusta golf course just seemed hilarious. Did a dog purchase his golf clubs at a pro shop or a pet shop? What kind of caddy does a dog use? And who would make the tiny green jacket should the canine win?

World_Famous_Golf_ProThe beagle didn’t land his putt, but it didn’t matter. The platitude: Laughter is the Best Medicine swirling in my mind seemed so apropos. As I imagined the answers to my silly questions, I realized often I take myself too seriously.

God’s grace is an amazing thing and very often instead of giving myself grace, I get caught up in a lecture. You know the type: How I’m not good enough. How I didn’t try enough. How I’m just plain not enough. That little dog had so much swagger taking on those at the top of the leader board at the invitation only tournament. Still amused, remembering the missed putt, I was determined to dare to dream big like that modest pooch.

It wasn’t boastfulness. Like most of you, my inner critics don’t whisper; they scream. “You aren’t beautiful. Your creativity is in sore need of help. You’ll never be successful.” But on that day, my laughter was God’s way of telling me, “Dare to put the seriousness aside. Dare to see yourself as Beloved. Dare to be brilliant – just seek Me in everything.”

God can do so much more than me, so I’m working on stopping during the day and giving whatever I am doing over to Him. To stop the work of my hands, bow in prayer and lay it in His hands. Of fighting back those internal critics with the understanding God doesn’t expect me to be perfect, He just wants me.

No one gets out of life unscathed. Maybe you find yourself contending with depression, which keeps yanking you down. Maybe the sense of not being enough holds you in place. Maybe, like me, the shadows of insecurity keep you from rising above your circumstances.

The relentless tug of war can only stop in the midst of the joy found in God; the One who is with us and for us. When it comes to these fights in our lives, we need joy to be our constant companion, so we can dare to live big. We can dare to live by faith. We can dare to live in a world where we don’t have the answers and never will. We can do all this because the battles of life, both internal and external, have already been won through Christ.

I’ll Come To You!

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Desert HighwayI was stunned, speechless. For the gal who always has something to say, this was way out of the ordinary. My friend, June, with those four precious words, offered a miracle. “I’ll come to you,” didn’t mean a brief neighborhood trip. It didn’t mean I’ll pick you up for a quick trip to the mall, or grocery story, or any nearby place. This gracious, loving woman meant she was willing to fly over half way across the country just to be with me!

During this season, my husband and I live 2500 miles apart. Technology and frequent visits keep us connected, but not as close as two people still desperately in love after 24 years of marriage want to be. You miss things; the daily hugs, the night times kisses, the comfort of knowing your spouse is right there beside you ready to soothe when life turns sour.

Our anniversary is the beginning of August; my birthday, a milestone one at that, is the beginning of September. In mid-August, I have commitments in the city where he lives. Try as we might, he and I couldn’t be together on our celebratory days and stay within budget. It was just too expensive to fly back and forth and keep the dog at the dog sitter. Knowing it was important to be together for these precious days, my husband suggested I drive out for the month between our anniversary and my birthday. That’s driving 2500 miles alone with just a German Shepherd for company. And as much as I tried to convince myself, I can do one mile 2500 times, it wasn’t working.

Until that glorious day, when June stepped in, offering to fly out and drive back with me. “I’ll come to you.” I hadn’t even asked her. It was as if the heavens opened up with those words and love came raining down. My beautiful, wonderful friend was willing to put aside her life, her time, her energy to be with me, to sacrifice for me by offering the safety of another person. The kindness she extended was truly a gift of extravagant love.

There is another who says, “I’ll come to you.” 1 John 4:10 tells us, This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins! God doesn’t love us because we loved Him first. The loneliness of this world is a faint whisper that says, “You don’t belong,” then Christ counters with, “I’ll come to you, my beloved.”

In the midst of our fear, we touch the depth of God, who is always there. He was coming to you long before you arrived on this earth. He was coming to you when you didn’t even know you needed Him. The Lord Himself has been completely claiming you with His love for all eternity.

Having my friend beside me will add comfort to those long miles. But God, the One who holds the universe in His hands, provides comfort each and every day. In the lowest valleys, the highest peaks or even the long stretches of nothingness, His power and security are there for you.

He always, lovingly whispers, “I’ll come to you.”

Heroes

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Orange County has a new hero. Bruno, a German Shepherd police dog, was shot on Friday during a SWAT operation. The bullet struck him in the jaw and traveled into his chest. After a lengthy surgery where his jaw was rebuilt and part of his lung removed, he is expected to make full recovery. His bravery saved the lives of several police officers.Bruno

Not all acts of heroism need to save a life in order to be defined as brave or courageous. A modern day hero is a person who helps those in need.  A real hero gives selflessly of his time, money and energy for the good of others without asking for anything in return and, when offered, turns it down. There are many people, who in a variety of ways, come into our lives and softly, quietly improve them and in the process make us better people. They act without any acclaim or applause, but show compassion, generosity and kindness.

We think of heroes as doing something on a grand scale, but everyday heroes find a way to make this world a better place one person at a time. They don’t wait until they are perfect, they simply get on to doing amazing things. John Ortberg wrote, “If you wait until you are ready, you wait forever. God uses not-ready people.”

There are heroes in my life I’ve never met. Mother Teresa, Corrie ten Boom, Eleanor Roosevelt, Neil Armstrong. There are also larger than life heroes I have met: Colin Powell, Rick Stearns, Max Lucado, Patrick Lenconi. Today, though, I’d like to say thank you to those kind individuals who acted with compassion towards me in my times of need. The friends who showed up unexpectedly at my father’s wake, the teacher who let me cry in her arms after a breakup with a boyfriend, the coworker who gave me a spectacular reference, the gals in my writer’s group who have spent so much time making me a better communicator. There are way too many to list here, but without them I would be a sorry individual. You are my heroes! Thank you so much for all you did when I needed you most.

This, then is a call to action, not only for you, but for myself. When the opportunity comes to help someone, show someone a kindness, offer someone help, don’t hesitate. Just do it, as the motto states. You may never be heralded as a hero on television like Bruno was, but you will make every bit of a difference in someone’s life.

Mother Teresa famously said, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” So, let’s get on with it! Make today a turning point. Seek out opportunities to spread love and kindness softly and quietly throughout your day. The world will be a much better place when you do.