Just a Reminder
I recently received something from God. At the top of the memo it said, “Just a reminder…” You might be interested to learn that my memo came delivered to me by way of my senior dog, Mocha. I hope you are now intrigued.
Genesis 1:26 tells us, Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
Mocha is tired, arthritic, and faces challenges that impact senior dogs. He has been my companion and best friend for close to twelve years. He requires human assistance now, which is very similar to providing care for a human family member. God has gifted me with a loving companion, and I am instructed by God to take care of him. Mocha has lovingly and unconditionally taken care of me through many life experiences. It is now more important than ever that I do the same for him. We spend countless moments together. It is in these moments that my mind is open enough to see God’s reminders.
Reminder #1: Pause (Paws)…God has reminded me to stop with the busyness. For some, a busy life equates with a happy life. That is not how I am wired. I am happiest and most content when I am living a quiet, simple, non-chaotic life. The other day, Mocha and I were walking slowly in the yard together and his hips just gave out. There he was, collapsed in the grass. He did not have the energy or the strength to get up. So, we sat together in the grass for the longest time until he was ready for me to assist him. We were pausing. I watched him closely as he took it all in. He smelled the grass. He lifted his nose to smell the sweet air and he watched and listened as he totally embraced his pause and paws in the grass. Reminder for me…pause more. Matthew 11: 28-30 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” NIV
Reminder #2: Be thankful for each moment and the ordinary. I need to do better. A very special friend gifted me with a book a few years ago titled, A Book of a Uncommon Prayer, 100 Celebrations of the Miracle and Muddle of the Ordinary. The book reminds me to pray for and be thankful for the ordinary doing extraordinary things. For example; prayer for wicked hot showers, decent shoes, brief church services, prayers for men and women who huddle inside vast rain slickers all day holding stop signs at construction sites and never appear to shriek in despair and exhaustion, and even a prayer of thanks for seeing yet another egregious parade of muddy paw prints on the floor. Reminder for me…be thankful for all things including the ordinary. Psalm 9:1. I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
Reminder #3: When walking outside with Mocha, it’s important to look down ;)…but it is more important to look up. My moments with Mocha have gifted me with beautiful sunrises and sunsets. This morning as the two of us began our day outside I looked up, the gift of a new day greeted me with the orange and beautiful color of the morning sky that only can be created by God. If God had not provided Mocha as a messenger of this reminder, I would have slumbered through the glorious start of a new day. In the dark of the night, when Mocha and I are outside, my reminder is to listen to the calls of the night. The owl that calls out to me, “Who Who Who are you?” Reminder for me…acknowledge the gift of each new day. Psalms 118:24 This is the day the Lord has made. We shall rejoice and be glad in it.
What reminders has God sent you lately? Who or what has He entrusted with the responsibility of delivering the special memo to you? Are you open to all possibilities of a messenger that surprises you? Are you aware?
Maybe…just maybe…Mocha is reminding you too.
Denise Ludwig