“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” (Psalm 84:11, ESV)
“I don’t want it.” Words I mumbled to myself. This six-week-old puppy (a cairn terrier) had been brought into our home. She was a gift for someone else in the family, who had promised to take care of her. But I just knew that I would end up being the one to take care of her. And I was right. I wasn’t in a great place in that season of my life to care for anything. Still deep in grief and barely functioning myself. But every morning, I would hear this little one whining – she needed to go out. I was still lying around in my robe most of the day at that point. She needed me to take her out to potty. I mumbled and grumbled as I got up to take her out. I saw her as such an inconvenience in my life.
I resented the fact that I had to take care of her in the beginning. She was high energy as a puppy and required a lot of walking. That pushed me to develop a routine of walking her every morning. The daily walking was good for her, but it was also very healing for me. Being out in nature is one of the best things you can do when you’re grieving. Through our morning walks, we connected with other ladies in the neighborhood and wonderful friendships were formed as a result.
I’ve had Casey over 11 years now. She looks just like Toto from Wizard of Oz. She has become a wonderfully unexpected blessing in my life. Over the years, she and I have walked thousands of miles together. She’s been by my side as I’ve cried my heart out to the Lord on our numerous walks. It is on those walks, that the Lord seems to speak to me with such clarity which has inspired many of my writings over the years.
When was the last time God brought something into your life that wasn’t what you wanted? A health diagnosis that wasn’t what you wanted to hear or the loss of a job. Maybe it’s taking care of a friend or family member when you’re not in a good place to take care of yourself. Perhaps he’s trying to bring something good into your life (but you can’t see it just yet).
It’s only now looking back that I see how God orchestrated bringing Casey (and her adopted sister Sophie) into our lives. In a season when all I could do was focus on my pain – having Casey in my life forced me to think about something else (exactly what I needed).
“Father, when things come in our lives help us to see the blessing even if it’s wrapped differently than we expected.”
For His Glory,
Laura Holmes (www.ephraimministries.org)
TRBC Women’s Life
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