Can You?

I am a "Survivor" fan.  I've recently been watching the "Heroes vs. Villians" series and am amazed at how comparable it is to real life. 

I remember the episode where a "Hero", Candice, turned "Villian".  She wanted immunity and so she traded sides.  She "back-stabbed" or "deceived" her Hero tribe to gain the possibility of "safety" by joining the Villians.

I remember when her hero teammate voted her off, Colby said "I can honestly say, I am proud of the way that I have played this game, can you?". 

So I think about life itself.  I have recently worked in an atmosphere that would be best described as "toxic".  I have learned that this atmosphere turns people to do things that is completely out of their character.  To change their principals, in order to "survive"....for each person "survival" means something different, but "survival" is important.

Today, I was rescued.  God rescued me from having to make decisions that are against the nature that He has born inside me.  I can honestly say, that I am PROUD of the way that I played the game.  I thank God that He found a way....He found an out for me.  He found a place for me to RISE ABOVE.  To no longer be contaminated by the ways of those that chose the path of the "villian".

Not only is my name at stake, but when my name is at stake, the Lord's name is at stake.  I have a long journey ahead...but I believe that God takes care of me.  That He will continue to bless the road I am journeying on.  So today, I praise Him. 

It is true....God let me see beyond the trees.  I don't just see him in the good, I see him in the difficult trying times.  You can never know true forgiveness, until you have sinned.  You can never know true grace, until you know trials.  You can never know you've been rescued.....until you find yourself drowning.  His ways are above our ways.

Comfort of a Lab

The comfort of a lab.  Anyone who has a lab, and lives with a lab, knows the comfort of a lab.  After a long day I crawl into bed to have my lab curl up next to me.  I know that Nay and Zeke are often comforted by our presence, but I wonder if they know how comforted I am by theirs?

As I am on my way home from work each day I think of the comforts at home.  I think of my husband and my labs waiting for me.  Greeting me with love and affection.  Unconditional love is priceless.

Wreaking Havoc

Zeke is my mail sorter.  At least he was when he first started living "outside" his crate.  Now he picks and chooses his "chew toys".  Chewed up my favorite "Clark" sandles the other day.  All I can do is sigh....what else do I expect?

I sit here as Naomi is walking circles around the hall ways.  We have two hallways that run parallel to each other.  One connects the dining room to the kitchen/living room/greatroom.  The other connects the living room/great room/kitchen to the front door.  She is circling...because the air pressure is changing.  Sometimes she switches directions and goes the other way.  She is "pacing".  (Zeke is chewing a bone in the corner..should take it away since he's on a diet)

Don't most of us pace when we're nervous?  I'm not sure why we do it.  I think sometimes we wreak havoc in our own lives with our pacing and worrying.  To "wreak", or "to inflict or execute".  Do we cause ourself our own worries sometimes? 

Naomi is quiet, she leaves very little "mess" in our home, but we are often spending time with her, comforting her, as she wreaks havoc upon herself over these storms.  Zeke, he demands attention for a different reason and that's because he wreaks havoc in our home.  I have to clean up the mess he leaves behind because he certainly can't.  (well, I don't want to leave it there for him to eat, and then poop it out later).

So I need the self-discipline to not wreak havoc upon myself.  To inflict myself with unecessary worry or fear.  To execute pain and hurt.  I know the Lord said to hold my peace and He will fight for me.  I wish I could see the battle raging and therefore the victory would be easier to see.  I know He has a plan, and he can see what happens in the end.  I wish He would show it to me. 

But patiently I wait....

God in the Trees

I wish I had some profound story to tell of the simple life of labs but today it seems that I cannot. I sat on my front porch today, remembering to 'be still'...and to 'know God'. I sat in silence, in the white rocker where I often sit and listen to music as I consume the latest book or novel I may be reading. I sat there....without music....without books....looking for God in the trees.

You see, I have always found great peace in the power of God when looking at nature. There is a beautiful tree in our neighbor's yard that has flowered and now transforming into leaves. I should see God's power, I should see His presence, but today, I could not see God in the trees.

I saw the wind blow...and I thought, God, are you showing me yourself in the wind? We all know the old example of God being like the wind. Today, the wind was not enough. So, I closed my eyes in the black silence and asked God to reveal Himself. I am seeking the peace that only He can give.

Steve has encouraged me in ways that he can, my parents have sent words of encouragement in time of need, but I realize that though my family is a gift that often only God is enough, that only God can quench the thirsting soul. I remember Psalm 77....I remembered two words "cannot speak". David tells of a period in his life where he is so overwhelmed his soul refused to be comforted. Lately I am living this battle ground. I am asking God to give me grace, to give me peace, to remember HE is in charge.

I often wonder why the wicked do prosper? What of the concept sowing and reaping?

I know God is telling me to rest. I think God wants me to look beyond the trees. To see God not in something, but to see God when there is nothing.

God, please give me a miracle. Please show me the hope that only you can give.

DOG-TIRED

There's a way we say "TIRED" in our house when we are really tired. We say it will two syllables instead of one. It is said with the slight east Tennessee accent that my husband has, it is "Tie-urd".

Tonight we just got back from dinner at mom and dad's. We took Zeke and Naomi to play with Daffy and Peyton. That is always an adventure. As I type this Zeke is laying across my lap, absolutely exhausted. Nay is somewhere in the house, a corner I assume, more than likely sleeping. I would say they are dog-tired.
They spend most of their time running in the yard, wrestling, playing, barking, and then of course, begging. Generally they don't beg for food but they know good food when they smell it.

Sometimes in life we spent so much time in life running around that we forget to stop and take a break and rest. Rest is often what we need to get through the week, the situation, the day. My father tells this illustration of when he was in the Marines, serving in the First Gulf War known as Desert Storm. As he explains Psalm 23, he talks about how throughout the war he cannot remember a night where the Lord did not give him a peaceful rest. Though the place was dangerous, the times difficult, away from family, and literally a place of war...God gave him rest.

I can think of no better illustration than that. As Zeke has now found himself curled up at the end of the couch, I believe he is getting real rest. I know that I have heard that God grants grace in time of need and it is so true, but people often forget to add that along with GRACE is REST. A rest that you can wake up from refreshed and at peace. Along with REST is JOY. Along with JOY is LAUGHTER. Along with LAUGHTER is LOVE. Along with LOVE is PEACE and many, many more blessings God has in store.

The Crack in the Door

This picture is so old! It was the first year we had Naomi, at our home in Lenoir City, Tennessee. She was a "runner" as I like to call it. She'd see a crack in a door and she'd go jetting down the driveway with her ears flapping in the wind. I remember one time she turned around and looked at me on her way down, as if she were laughing at me. We had to keep her leashed up in the yard back then. Today it is different, she is older and wiser, and well.....wearing a shock collar for the electric fence. Truthfully, she is just more obedient.

One morning she got away without me noticing. She was leashed up but somehow, her collar broke and she started wandering the neighborhood. I was crazy enough to chase after her in my pajamas, barefoot, in the mud (as the subdivision was still fairly new). She's a stubborn one that's for sure.

And yet, I love the stubborn girl. I remember not being a "dog person". I couldn't pet a dog without washing my hands. Now I let them lay on me, lick me, and live in my house! I never understood the loss of a pet. Now the thought of losing Nay or Zeke brings tears to my eyes. Such love a little companion can bring.

I am glad, that even though I am the stubborn girl, running through the crack in the door, turning around laughing.....that my Master still loves me, inspite of me.

Dancing in the Rain

I remember when we first got Zeke. Seeing the world through his eyes was always exciting. I've never had a puppy so I'm not sure if all puppies react the same way.

The first time it rained the little guy danced around in the rain. It was the kind of rain that dropped in large drops, but in a slow uneven pattern. It would hit him in the behind and he'd twist around. it would hit him in the head and he'd twist the other way. He bounced around as I stood there laughing. Rain doesn't bother him anymore. He just goes out in it as if it is expected.

Naomi is different. Any kind of storm just absolutely frightens her. She knows it by the pressure in the air.

I'd like to view a storm the way Zeke does. Dancing in the rain, curious about what's happening. Not frightened a bit. When we remember whose in charge of the rain we can rest, but sometimes we fret as we run for shelter or search for an umbrella. Life's storms are not always easy but God can give us reason to dance in the rain. To still enjoy the journey he gives. God has given me a good life, a life that reminds me of His goodness and love for me. The blessings he has granted me through Godly friends and family has shown me the "BLESSINGS" he bestows. When God allows a dark rain cloud to enter my life, I know that He still gives me reason to dance in the rain.