Beneficial

The sound of our dog barking as she rolled upside down on the couch and later on the bed has been resonating throughout our home all morning!  It all began after she filled her belly with a bowl of Purina Beneful dog food.  It would seem that her breakfast was very beneficial to her attitude for the day!

I wasn’t too sure what to expect when I got up this morning.  Even though it was almost eight in the morning the room was still a little dark.  Partially cloudy skies with a slight chance of a passing thunder shower were predicted for the day.  When I went into the living room and opened the blinds on the glass door leading to our patio, I was relieved to see beautiful blue skies and the sun’s bright rays streaming through the leaves of the upside down tomato plant we have hanging from the patio cover.

We had sort of a different weekend.  My wife was extremely weak for the better part of Saturday.  She was having a hard time walking straight and slept a lot up until the late afternoon when she began to look stronger.  By the time I helped her down the hall to bed that night ,she was walking pretty straight and was more responsive to my corny jokes and silly songs!  You should have seen me trying to wash her hair earlier in the day!  It was quite interesting trying to keep her from sliding out of her seat while I attempted the wash and rinse!  It took a little longer than normal and I am not sure if I had more water on the floor than on her hair!  But then again, look on the bright side; I got two jobs done at the same time as I washed both her hair and the floor!

Sunday morning started out well, but then quickly began to unravel when my insides began to rebel!  So, needless to say, we missed our opportunity to visit our new church, but were doing better later in the day… until after dinner that is!  Then the rumbles started up again…

But you know?  God wasn’t through with us and He wanted to have the upper hand in our weekend.  Just before I turned out the lights after reading for a while, I got up to get my phone so as to recharge it overnight when I noticed that I had received a text message about an hour previous to that time.  It was from one of my favorite cousins in California who just text to say hello, give a good report and to tell me that she enjoyed my “cheery posts!”

Well, that short text changed my whole attitude.  And with a loud laugh I plugged in the phone and rolled into bed knowing that a Godly attitude based on His Word was all I needed to give me joy even if my physical circumstances were not up to par.  In John 10:14 Jesus said that “I am the good shepherd.  I know my own and my own know me.” (ISV)  As I meditated on that verse this morning I smiled in the realization that God looks past all the “stuff” that sometimes clouds our judgment and looks directly into our hearts.

That “stuff” may try to influence the way we feel and the decisions we sometimes make, but it doesn’t influence Him!  He still knows and loves us with an intimate understanding of what makes us click and of what we need the most at any given time.  Wow!  He knew that I needed a little splash of joy last night and waited until I went to bed to give it to me.  That joy helped me through a few rough patches throughout the night as my wife was fairly restless until around 2:30, and caused me to wake up a little tired, but yet with a hop in my step and an earnest expectation of good things resonating through my being! He really is the Good Shepherd who always knows what is beneficial to you and me!

Have a great week.  Stay in tune to His Word, and keep asking yourself… “What or Whom am I expecting today?”