Reunited and it feels SO good!
These past 2 weeks I went back to Tyler to work the last weeks of camp. Yay! BUT I had already packed up all my stuff, turned off the electricity, and moved out of my apartment and into my old room at home when I got the call that said they needed more staff and asked me to come back and work. I had literally just unpacked the last box. What this meant for me was that I would be throwing some clothes into a duffel and headed back to the town that I had just "moved" from and bumming room and board from my college minister for a few weeks. If you didn't follow any of that not to worry, it's doesn't really have anything to do with this blog except to say that unfortunately my sweet pup Sallie had to stay home with my mom while I went back to Tyler. But I'm back home now and all settled in (for good this time I think!) and Sal is currently snuggled up at my side. All is well with the world again 🙂
But today, yet again, God used Sal to remind me of His love for me and I thought maybe someone else could use the reminder! So here ya go.
Sal has literally been 2 steps behind me everywhere I go all day today. Maybe its because this house is still a relatively new place to her and she just wants to be around someone familiar, or maybe I only noticed it because here at home all the floors are wood so I can hear the constant tapping of her paws, or maybe she just missed me that much. Whatever the reason for it, I'm certainly not complaining. I enjoyed the company!
Not only was she following me everywhere I went but she was always watching me to see what I was doing. She barely slept and when she did, she did it sitting up so that she'd be able to see if I made any slight movements. The sweetest thing she did happened in the moments that I would made eye contact with her. As soon as that happened she would run straight to my feet and rub her head against my leg and then just look up at me. It looked something like this…
But today, somewhere in the middle of me just soaking up how precious my dog is, I felt this burning question pop inside of me.
When is the last time I went running to Jesus' feet like that?
Today I felt so loved and trusted by my dog. Every single time I looked back that girl was right behind me step for step. I can tell that she's still unsure about alot in this new big house with stairs and lots of rooms and slippery wood floors, but she knows that if she stays with me she'll be ok. All it took was one look her direction and she'd come running to my feet looking up at me with those beautiful eyes. I want to be like Sal…
Apparently the Lord has some work to do with me because His lessons for me didn't stop there! When I say that my dog was following me everywhere today…I do mean everywhere. This includes the bathroom. By tonight I decided that I've gotta draw the line somewhere so I shut the door and left her outside while I went to the bathroom. When I came out, Sal was laying on the floor chewing on a piece of glass. …Glass! I mean surely if that gets swallowed it can do some damage! So of course I got mad at her. Honestly… I got really mad at her. There was alot of yelling and a few too many hard hits to her behind.
But tonight when I was looking back on it, I realized that I only got angry like I did because I love her SO much. It probably really hurt her mouth to be chewing on that glass and I just knew that if she swallowed some it would really mess her up. And in that moment came God Lesson #2 for the day…
I started to see that God's anger towards me and my sin is the same as the anger I experienced when Sal was eating the glass. When God is angry at me it isn't because he hates me or he is an awful God. It is actually because He loves me so much….way more than I could ever love Sal.
He loves me so much that He hates to see me doing things that are hurting me and He knows the damage it will cause if I "swallow" them.
I love it when God uses everyday things and people (and dogs) in my life to remind me of Himself! Today was a challenge for me to stay at Jesus' feet. When things are crazy and unfamiliar, new and scary, (and in case you're wondering…they are!) He just asks me to follow Him. I long to follow Jesus like Sal followed me today- with complete trust and dependence, knowing that He will always provide!
My favorite part about Sal is that she loves to lay right up against me-either in my lap or right at my feet. Tonight was no exception. After I got all the glass out of her mouth and stopped yelling at her, she came out from hiding under the table and climbed right up into my arms. I'm SO glad she knows that I still love her… I wanna be like Sal.
The more I seek You, the more I find You
The more I find You, the more I love You
I wanna sit at Your feet,
drink from the cup in Your hand,
lay back against You and breathe
feel Your heartbeat.
This love is so deep,
its more than I can stand.
I melt in Your peace
Its overwhelming
