Devotional sneak peek....
It’s hot and dry here.
Could surely use some rain. On
the other hand, if it rains, the grass grows and needs to be mowed, and the
weeds grow needing to be pulled………..still, would like to see some rain. Speaking of which, did you hear about the guy
from West Texas who had never seen a
rainstorm, until the day a big thunderhead moved in and dropped rain for an
hour. The poor guy fainted dead away,
and they say they had to pour three buckets of sand on him to finally wake him up!
Thought today, as I was out watching my wife’s dog jump and
play, that I’d post on the blog one of the meditations from the book, one that
I particularly like. Maybe it’ll give
you a little lift today. So here it is:
I was sitting at the computer one day, and
my Siamese cat was sleeping on the bed.
Now, let me first lay to rest any nasty rumors. I also own a beagle, and my wife has a dog
and another cat. So I’m neither a cat
person, nor a dog person…..maybe just incapable of making a decision one way or
the other. Anyway, now that I have laid
that inane tidbit to rest, let’s go back to my computer and cat. After sitting there a few moments, the cat
got up and jumped into my lap, expecting me to pet him. Of course, I obliged for a few moments, and
then turned back to writing. The cat was
not impressed (they never really are, you know). The cat turned and rubbed his head against
my chest, and then nestled up closely insisting that I wasn’t done scratching
his fur until he decided I was done when he’d had enough. Of course, again, as the obedient house guest
I am, I stroked his fur until he was content to go back to his own domain, part
of which he allowed me to occupy a bit longer.
And suddenly I was struck by something about cats in general that I
think divorcing people can benefit from emulating.
My cat had the courage to come over to me,
express his need for caring, and did not give up until his need was met. Sometimes when we are struggling in divorce,
we need to have the courage to express to those who care about us, that we are
in need of something. In other words, to
just ask for help. Or for love. Or whatever assistance we need. In today’s passage, even Paul asked for
help! I remember a friend who was so
struggling that she realized in the middle of the day that she hadn’t fed her
toddlers that day, and yet didn’t feel she had the strength to do so. Instead, she called another family member and
asked if they would mind coming over and making something for the toddlers to
eat. Of course they were willing,
because sometimes those who care for us want to help and want to be supportive,
but don’t know exactly how. A request
like that gives them the opportunity to express their concern in appropriate
ways. Or I remember a time when I was
sorting through some of our more sentimental things, and was concerned I might
not divide them with the fairness I desired, so I called a good friend and
asked if she would be willing to come over and help me sort through those
things. She did, and I felt much more
confident about how that task went. It
helped ease my conscience. And sometimes
it may be simply telling a good friend, “you know, I could sure use a hug
today.” I realize there is a danger in
this, because I also knew a person who was so needy, that he just wore out his
friends. I probably did, too. In fact, I know I did. And I thank God so much for those friends who
were willing to give of themselves so generously when I needed them most. Perhaps the trick is not to put the entire
load upon one person if you need something.
But, as a friend of mine reminded me once, “if you believe that it is
more blessed to give than receive, then if you don’t let me give of myself,
then you are robbing me of a blessing!!”
Don’t let those who care for you get cheated out of a blessing just
because you are hesitant to ask for help.
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