God's Goodness

Greetings,

Did you have a good night’s rest last night? What about a good meal? Perhaps you enjoyed a good hot shower? Did you enjoy a good TV show? Did you and a friend have a good long talk? Maybe you had a good laugh because someone tripped over a rug and acted like nothing happened?  Were your kids around and in a hug-giving mood? If not, then certainly your dog was!

All the good in our lives - and we all have an abundance of good - serves a purpose: It reminds of God’s goodness. And purposely focusing on all the myriad ways God blesses us keeps our focus in the right place when we face challenges.   

My friend “A” is a great example of how the right focus and the right attitude help us.  A few years ago, her son was having some medical tests, and I was so impressed with her peace.  I flat out asked her how she could be so calm. She didn’t hesitate to say…

“Yenise, I realized that I have been alive for over 50 years, and day after day I have gotten up and enjoyed peace and provision from the hands of a loving God. Why, oh why, would I stop believing Him now? He has never failed me, and He never will."

She purposely placed all her attention on God’s sustaining goodness and grace, and it strengthened her faith. If I start to think about my life, including all the ups and downs, I too must say that “I have been alive for over 50 years…”

PRAYER: Dear Lord, thank You that You and You alone are the source of everything good and perfect in our lives. Thank You for Your faithfulness.  We have so much to be grateful for, and Your goodness is abundant in our lives. We acknowledge You as our Provider, Comforter, Healer, Protector, Guidance, and Peace. We open our hearts wide to receive You. Bring us and every single person we love under the covering of Your goodness. In Jesus' name, AMEN~

Nothing Slips Through the Cracks~

Greetings!

This past Sunday Jorge and I took our niece, Emily, nephew, Santi, and our granddog, Tucker, to the local Howl-O-Ween event at Pinecrest Gardens.  Hundreds of dogs and their proud owners showed up dressed to the nines (or should I say “canines”) for the festivities.  Santi went as Captain America, Tucker went as a lion, Hormone went as Robin, Lis went as Cat Woman, and Trooper went as Batman.  It was SPECTACULAR!

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the pet costumes, watching Trooper race through the agility course, and filling up my bag with doggie treats and candy. The highlight of the day, however, came when Jorge decided to enter Tucker into the pet costume contest.  Much to our surprise, Tucker came in third place in the Big Dog category.  I WAS SHOCKED and proud and excited! We had so much fun, and I found myself thanking God for the pure joy dressed up dogs bring.  I am pretty sure they all brought a smile to God’s face as well.

Psalm 36:5-6 “Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, Your justice like the ocean depths. You care for people and animals alike, O LORD.”

When you care for someone, you hurt when they hurt, you rejoice when they rejoice, you smile when they smile, you always want to see them well and protected, and nothing they do can make you stop loving them.  Multiply that to the quintillionth number and then you might start to get a grasp on GOD’S LOVE, LOYALTY, RIGHTEOUSNESS, and JUSTICE, all of which are VAST and INCALCULABLE and all of which applies to us, those we love, and even, yes even, our beloved pets.  The verse above in the Message version says, “…nothing slips through the cracks.”  N-O-T-H-I-N-G!

Let’s live like we believe it.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, How might our lives change if we truly believed that You care about every single thing about us, including our animals?  Would this inspire us to be more confident in our prayers? What about if we totally embraced the fact that You rejoice when we rejoice? Would we enjoy life more knowing that our heavenly Father is smiling down on us? Help us to receive these powerful truths into our souls.  You are worth getting to know each and every day.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN.