“And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.”  Romans 5:5  NLT

Once the cold air of winter releases its grip, and the daily walks with Famous encounter more light, more warmth, and more beauty, we have hope that each day will be sweeter and sweeter. This weekend, however, winter will send one more blast of cold, blustery weather before melting away into a new growing season. Then, the heavy parka, gloves, and scarves will be packed away for many months, and I will begin to trim Fame’s coat for a cooler summer feel.

The daily Christian walk is one that helps us to hope for eternal spring. The winter of our sin with its sadness, guilt, and suffering will one day be completely replaced with everlasting love and life. Even now we carry that hope in our hearts and search for the signs of this new life in each and every moment. Because God’s love has been poured out upon us, we can become his vessels of hope, light, and inspiration.

Dear God, help me to worship You with hope of the glorious day to come and to not be ashamed to profess your love and promises. 

 

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”  Proverbs 13:12  NLT

Teaching a dog to wait can give the master a great advantage. For example, Famous is pretty good about following commands that keep him from rushing out the front door, crossing busy roads, or leaving a secure spot. This communication gives him a layer of safety and gives me an extra layer of control.

A similar command he knows is “leave it.” This can pertain to roadkill, mushrooms, or neighbor’s trash. Perhaps it is best demonstrated when he receives a treat. As tempting as the packaged morsel is, he will not touch it if I present it to him and command him to “leave it.” Even if I leave the room, he waits for me to return and say “take it” before he gobbles it up.

Where we place our hope will govern the fulfillment we either do or do not find in life. The purpose we long for cannot be found in the fleeting things of this world. Sometimes, this realization comes too late. However, an abundant life is the reward of placing your hope and trust in the living  Lord.

Turn my longing, Lord, away from the material things that will eventually pass away and to the joy that only You can bring. 

“You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. You will lie down, with no one to make you afraid, and many will court your favor.”  Job 11:18-19  NLT

If you follow any of the animal rescue videos circulating on social media, you will see dogs and cats found in horrendous conditions who just happen to be lucky enough to find rescue. While I find hope in the teams and veterinarians who nurse them back to health, and many of the transformations are nothing less than miraculous, I am ashamed, horrified, and sickened by the circumstances of these forgotten, abandoned, and abused animals. I find it no small task to attempt to provide the safest, happiest, and most comfortable existence I can for Famous. It does not make up for the hundreds of thousands of suffering animals in the world, but it helps to know I try to honor the life found in my pet.

Faith is essential in facing all of the evil in the world. Without faith, hope becomes obscured, fleeting. It becomes difficult to conquer fear. Perhaps Fame’s most assuring affirmation of his sense of safety and security comes when he lies down at my side. With just a touch of my arm on his side he heaves a sigh of relief. He inspires me to give over all of my insecurities and fears to God in whom I place my trust.

Father of all life, remind me of the hope this day holds for me because of your love.

“‘Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged,’ Joshua told his men. ‘Be strong and courageous, for the Lord is going to do this to all of your enemies.'”  Joshua 10:25  NLT

Famous and I are blessed. We have many friends and few adversaries. He has such a pleasant disposition not even bad weather can spoil his day. Despite cold, hot, wet, windy, or icy conditions, Famous is eager to experience being in the “elements.”

When he was younger, I noticed he would become excited with the thunder of an approaching storm. He would bark back at the rolling booms that would shake the house. So I decided during one particularly noisy storm to open the back door, lie down with him on the floor, and give him words of assurance while we waited for the storm to pass. It seemed to help him quiet down and relax. Now he seems to accept storms as normal if I am home. But I do plan our walks before and after them if possible.

God has done so much for us to help us in this life. He is there during the storms of life and in the quiet moments that follow.

God, help me when I am afraid, when I have forgotten that You are near.

“Jesus said, ‘How can I describe the Kingdom of God? What story should I use to illustrate it? It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of seeds, but it becomes the largest of all garden plants; it grows long branches, and birds can make nests in its shade.'”  Mark 4:30-32  NLT

During our walk today a lady stopped her car, rolled down the window, and said, “Hello! May I pet your dog?” This is not the first time Famous has elicited such a reaction. He was patient while she bent over to tell him what a beautiful dog he was. But having just left the house, he gave less attention to his new admirer and more to wanting to continue our walk so that he could “take care of business.” But it was long enough to put a smile on the lady’s face and have her tell me we had just “made her day.”

I try not to be amazed, but joyful, whenever Famous encounters the world in different and special ways. It reminds me he is a gift and has great potential to affect the lives of others. His potential is like that of the mustard seed. It would be easy to say he is just a dog. And I might be content to just have him around to keep me company. But believing he has the potential to bring joy, to remind us that there is a God, and to shed inspirational light on the relationship we have with God, shows us all the mystery of God’s revelation!

Dear God, open my eyes and heart today to your work even in the small and inconspicuous things I encounter today.

“But God remembered Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the boat. He sent a wind to blow across the earth, and the floodwaters began to recede.”  Genesis 8:1  NLT

Famous is a water dog. And although he rarely has the chance to jump into water (unless it is in a bathtub), he never misses an opportunity once it presents itself. We were invited a few years ago to a nearby friend’s farm. It was a lovely day and the setting secure enough for Famous to run free. If that were not the best way to start an afternoon, he also had new dog buddies! He would run ahead and dart back and wonder why I was not happily running around too.

Then he found it — one of the farm’s two small ponds! I knew there was no denying him the pleasure, and without waiting for me to give the “OK,“ he dived in. Now his buddies had played this game before, and my friend knew all she had to do was hose them off back at the house. But the green pond scum blanketing the surface of the water found a new home in Fame’s white feathering. Suddenly, he looked more like a creature from the green lagoon. And it is a good thing Famous likes water, because it took nearly five baths to shampoo the mess off of him.

God is a refuge in the worst of circumstances. He will not forsake us. He is mighty to save.

Help me, Lord, not only when I know I am in danger but also when unforeseen evil is upon me. 

“Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord, for our hope is in you alone.”  Psalm 33:22  NLT

Famous has acquired many toys since he was a puppy. The very first stuffed objects suffered his boisterous play and teething and were discarded a long time ago. A few “clever” doggie toys given as gifts were only able to survive about five minutes before their purpose of entertainment was spent. Then there is the congregation of plush items that have managed to stand the test of time and teeth and have been anointed as his favorites.

His favorites include a stuffed rabbit, duck, and puppy dog. They have all lost their ability to squeak, but somehow as the rabbit “velveteen” survived, so have they. Perhaps his choice among his companions is the stuffed puppy which resembles a small Saint Bernard. (It even has a little keg under his chin.) It seems this is the item that has had the most trips through the laundry, and the most eagerly reunited with its owner.

Most often when I return in the afternoon, Famous greets me with one of his toys, and many times it is his “pup-pup” that he brings in his mouth. One day, however, I came home and he had surrounded himself with five or six of his friends. I assumed they were having a party while I was away.

Like the toy fellowship which Famous assembled that day, God’s love surrounds us constantly providing love, protection, strength, and comfort. And better still, it will never disintegrate.

Thank You, God, for your circle of love!

“Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again — my Savior and my God!”  Psalm 42:5  NLT

We do not know the full range of a dog’s emotions. We can obviously sense when a dog is excited, or frightened, or at peace. The more time I spend with Famous, the more I am able to read his moods. And he does have a variety! Perhaps, this is one of the reasons we relate to dogs so easily. More than most animals, they possess the quality of revealing how the world affects them moment by moment.

Everyday, if I am called away, I watch Famous display a resolute disappointment knowing I am about to leave and he is going to be left behind. Then with equal expression, he celebrates my return later that day.

If I consider how fickle our hope is in God, then I am glad I have a reminder in Famous that our hearts can quickly be turned to praise. We must accept that life will be filled with peaks and valleys. But we should take heart that He desires to be in constant fellowship with us.

Dear God, take my sadness, acknowledge it as a part of who I am as a human, and transform it into your everlasting joy!

“After supper he took another cup of wine and said, ‘This cup is the new covenant between God and his people–an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.'”  Luke 22:20  NLT

One of the essentials of pet ownership is a constant supply of fresh water available to your pet. Once I committed to bringing a dog into the house, a water bowl went on the kitchen tiles and the lids to the toilet seats went down. Feeding requires a once or twice a day remembrance, but the water bowl requires checking every time I step into the kitchen. Plus, the water bowl, or a variant of it, has to be portable in case you are away from the house on a long, hot road trip or hike.

This is the agreement I made with Famous: he will always have water in his dish. I check it in the morning, before I leave for work, as soon as I get home, before and after his supper, and before bed.

Christ has given us a renewable covenant symbolized by the cup of wine from the Lord’s Supper and representative of the blood He shed on Calvary. This cup will never go empty, and the number of people who can drink from it is limitless.

Jesus, I praise You for your everlasting love for me. 

“Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live.”  John 14:19  NLT

One of the games I would play with Famous inside the house was hide and seek. And one of the best places to hide was the bedroom closet. It was such an unexpected place for him to look that I could hear him go past the door two and three times searching for me. I would stand completely frozen for fear of making a noise, even taking the shallowest of breaths. Finally, when he had figured out that I was out of sight, he started hunting me down with his sense of smell. His nose close to the carpet, he came closer and closer until he was convinced I was inside and started scratching at the door.

Christ is only hidden from our eyes. Yet, He is still among us. As little children we learned that He lives in our hearts. This is one way of explaining that we must use other senses to find him. We must hear him in the advocacy for human dignity and freedom. We must feel him in the embrace of fellow believers and the worn hands of his workers. We must know him in our prayers and in our dreams.

This is our hope — to see Christ face to face. This is his promise to us.

Lord Jesus, bless me today by showing me your face in others.