“You are beautiful, my darling, beautiful beyond words. Your eyes are like doves behind your veil. Your hair falls in waves, like a flock of goats winding down the slopes of Gilead.”  Song of Solomon 4:1  NLT

It’s those ears! I have to admit I have a handsome dog! I have always admired the regal poses of English Springer Spaniels and the way their long ears frame their faces. Combine that with a gentle, inquisitive personality and I find total strangers often stopping to comment on his striking looks.

Those ears demand grooming. That means cleaning them when they drag through dirt and food, keeping mites from growing inside them, and learning how to clip them appropriately. But the results are his soft locks which add a beautiful bounce to his gait even after his feet stop moving.

God gives beauty to our world each and every day. True beauty is not found by putting ourselves first, but by looking for God’s beauty in others.

Show me sights of Your glory in the everyday people I find today.

“When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice. But when the wicked are in power, they groan.”  Proverbs 29:2  NLT

Famous can and does advise me of his displeasure. It is not my goal to cause him displeasure, but rather by walking with him to cultivate routines and habits which serve both of us. In working with me he has fostered an environment which prompts me to do as much as I can to enhance his existence. And I find I benefit as well.

Masters who walk with God have an ongoing dialogue which guides their decisions and actions. To ignore that relationship is to elevate one’s own person to the rank of deity. These people will cause harm and dissatisfaction.

We should never let disagreement or disdain for a person’s “leadership style” keep us from doing good ourselves. We can be agents of change by asserting ourselves under no other name save the Lord’s name. The results will be the blessings others receive, not the glory heaped upon ourselves.

Show me the simple path of good and help me to follow it today.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”  Galatians 6:9  NIV

If I have to grow older, I have enjoyed aging alongside Famous. We have learned things together and learned to live compatibly with one another. For example, I learned very early that I had to put away all of my shoes or else a certain puppy would destroy them. But now I can leave bedroom slippers by the closet door and he completely ignores them, making our middle-of-the-night trips to the kitchen for a snack a little more convenient.

God calls us to be persistent in our faith, living each day with courage and duty, but with hope of reward.

Today I will seek to be faithful to the tasks God gives to me.

“Dogs are our link to paradise. They don’t know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring — it was peace.”

Milan Kundera

“Though a mighty army surrounds me, my heart will not be afraid. Even if I am attacked, I will remain confident.” Psalm 27:3  NLT

Breakfast had gone pretty smoothly, and I was nursing the warm dregs of coffee left in the mug when all of a sudden Famous started some of the loudest and sharpest barking I had heard in a while. My guess, and I was correct, was the arrival of the garbage man in our back yard. Our trash bins rest at the side of the deck, and Famous had a close view of the entire process until the intruder vanished behind our neighbors’ yard. No doubt the worker heard Famous and said his own prayer of thanks that he was behind a closed glass door!

Famous was warning me of a stranger, but it reminded me of how we should give our fears to God who promises to give us peace and rest. Fear leads us to worry, hate, and revenge. This is a worldly response when we lose sight of the One who gives us life and who promises salvation to our souls.

I pray for all confidence in the Lord to see me through the day without fear.

 

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”  Proverbs 11:2  NIV

Every morning I sit down to put on my socks and shoes. That is the moment Famous is waiting for. The minute I take my seat he positions himself directly in front of me with his back to me. He is expecting a massage!

I ask him, “How do you get a massage every morning and I do not?” He just inches closer ignoring the question. But I know if I do not indulge him, I cannot eventually get to my shoes and take him for a walk. After a minute or so I tell him to go and get his leash like a masseuse telling him his time is up. Finally, we are ready to greet the world.

Do we take the necessary time each day to help others, to do simple tasks of service to those who cannot do for themselves? Or do we ignore those who need us, believing we are too busy or important to assist them? Famous reminds me of the joy of giving and prepares me to continue to do so throughout the day.

Show me today the one(s) who need my humble help.

“Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith.”  Philippians 3:8-9  NLT

Having Famous as my endless source of inspiration must seem foolish to some. To them, he may seem to be a pampered pet, a subject of too many of my musings. After all, he is just a dog!

We should not be so careless in deciding what should be practical inspiration. God has always taken the unexpected, the surprise, the less reasonable choice in developing his relationship with his chosen people. My love for God is united in my love for Famous because he continually points my heart to the source of all love.

Paul reminds us there is nothing that holds value more than knowing Jesus Christ. In truth, everything we value, if it does not point us to God, is a lie. It will pass away before us with empty promises and betrayed lives. But everything that leads us to a closer walk with him is a gift from above received in faith for the perfection of our souls.

Teach me the value of my awareness and dedication to Christ, my Lord, today and forever.

“I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”  Ephesians 1:18  NASB

Did you know all dogs have a third eyelid called the nictitating membrane? You can see it when the dog is half asleep, but it disappears when he is fully awake. Cats have it too. It is responsible for helping to clean the cornea like a windshield wiper. It helps to produce tears. It also is beneficial in preventing eye infections.

Watching Famous watch me can give a great sense of connection. But when he is peacefully resting in my presence, and I see his trust and vulnerability, I am even more aware of our silent connection.

God gives us insights so that we may travel this earth with hope as confident heirs to the unseen eternal treasures He has in store for us.

Help me to see the clues in Your creation of the glory which awaits me.

---

“Other than shoes, brown didn’t exist in my wardrobe until I met Famous. He showed me how to pull it off!”

---

Rich and Famous

“’My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,’ says the LORD . ‘And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.'”  Isaiah 55:8-9  NLT

Is it a worthy exercise trying to understand Famous’ mind? It is undoubtably an interesting  challenge, knowing I can never completely comprehend his thoughts and needs. Still, I believe there is reward in the attempt since the more time I spend with him, the more likely it is that I can anticipate what he is trying to tell me.

Should we not all be trying to make the same effort to understand what God is trying to tell us? If, however, I cannot understand a creature I can see on earth, how much more difficult and complicated is just the notion of following God’s will for my life? Even the longest hour spent for just a drop of wisdom from God is a blessing beyond all riches.

Help me to actively sit in Your presence today, O God.