Bottled Up?

Nay is the smallest of all the dogs in our family (I'm including our extended dog family of Daffy, Peyton, Rex as well as Zeke). She is our rescue, sassy and moody.  She wears her feelings all over every inch of her chocolate body.  She’s very expressive.  We use to foster dogs and when we had Samson she peed in his bed.  When Zeke was crated, she peed in front of his crate.  It was one of those spots where you could tell she had to back up to do it.  When she’s scared her whole posture changes, but when my Nay-Nay is happy you can see it from the tip of her tail to the end of her nose.  It’s like energy coming out of her.  She walks happy, she sits happy, she almost smiles at you.

When we picked up NayNay from the shelter her name was (and still is) Naomi.  Naomi means pleasant and so we thought why not?  We kept the name but Steve with all his magical nick-naming skills started calling her NayNay.  (Just like he calls Zeke "Zekey-Zoo" he calls her "NayNee-Boo Boo". And  by the way she got that name way before Honey Boo Boo came into the television world!  After all she is older than her in both dog years and human years.)

Nay makes me ask myself about my own emotions.  I remember as a teenager I'd cry very easily.  I was sensitive and shy.  As a result of all that teenage crying, being an adult I began to bottle things up inside, not wanting to show the weakness I showed as a teen.  Sometimes I allow my emotions to govern my relationship with God.  Sometimes I bottle up and feel like I have to be tough instead of leaning on HIm for the strength that I might need.  As if.....God doesn't know what's really going on with me.

It takes humility to admit it to God.  Admit that I need Him.  I know it seems silly since He already knows what's going on inside of me.  He can read me far better than I can read Nay.  He knows my heart and thoughts, fears and joys.   I can't bottle it up from Him and when I do I act as if I need not God. 

When Nay is afraid it's very obvious.  She's scared of storms. She'll sit on my head to let me know.  She'll follow me around the house.  Just like Nay seeks her master I need to remember to always seek my own Master.