I WILL...

Every time I open the sliding door in the dining room to let our dog Fiver out, I am pretty much assured that he will bound down or over the steps of the deck onto the patio and run to the neighbor’s side of the house.  (The other side of our property borders a commons, forested area of our country neighborhood)  Once he gets to the fence line he’ll stick his nose through the slates of the picket fence looking first into the neighbor’s backyard and then the other direction toward the side of their house hoping that their little white dog is once again loose on their property!

The neighbor’s yard is not fenced as ours is and they have a habit of letting their dog run free.  You would think that they would have learned their lesson as they used to have two dogs but they ran off one day and one never returned!  Well, alas… the white ball of fur was not out today so Fiver ran down the property line and then took off across the yard in an excited burst of energy!  When he finally stopped for a moment he looked back to the house, spotted me standing on the deck and made a mad dash back into the house!

The funny part was when he flew back up the stairs to the deck.  You see, there was a frost this morning that left a thin layer of frozen dew on the deck.  Once his feet contacted the deck top he went to turn into the house and slid sideways across the deck!  But he never missed a beat as he turned and straightened himself in one move and leaped over the threshold of the slider, stepped into the dining room and immediately sat down and patiently waited for me to come back in and give him his customary “Aren’t-I-a-good-boy-for-coming-in” treat!  …So, I had a good chuckle with that little early morning stunt today!  

As it turns out, I also had had a good chuckle… or more like a good celebration of joy as I shared the Word of God with Piper this morning.  As usual, one of the first verses I have spoken out to her every single day for years now is found in Psalm 118:24 where the Psalmist declares: “This is the day which the Lord hath made; we WILL rejoice and be glad in it.” (KJV)  As I spoke out that verse today, my understanding was peaked when I got to the place where it says that “we WILL rejoice.”  

I just had to stop, smile and repeat that phrase with a lot more enthusiasm in the revelation that Piper and I WILL rejoice and be glad…  It is something that we do without hesitation, without any question, without any doubt at all!  We WILL rejoice because it is the day that the good Lord has made for us to rejoice and be glad in!

It doesn’t matter that yesterday was a hard day as I finally gave in to what I believe is the Lord’s next step in our journey with the attack on Piper’s health and signed her up for hospice homecare which at this point will give her better care and management of her needs as well as assistance for me, but have had to struggle with the stigma of all the thoughts that go along with this step… especially when we are in faith for her healing…

Then there’s Piper’s recent emergency visit to the hospital, the slow return of her physical strength and the difficulties she’s having in swallowing… AND throughout it all, there’s the personal need to increase my stand against the lies that the enemy of our faith has been pounding me with… 

Whew!  I am soooo glad that I WILL to rejoice in this new day, in this brand new opportunity that Papa God has given me to trust and obey Him in!  Like I said, there is absolutely NO question about it.  I WILL do it!  I have come too far, been around too long, and KNOW the love that Papa God has for me and my wife too well that I am sold on the FACT that rejoicing and being glad in Him and in the truth of His Word is the ONLY way to go!

NOW THAT’S THE WAY I LIKE TO START MY DAY!!!  How about you?  Don’t even think about it… Just Do It!  Rejoice and be glad in Him and the fresh new opportunity that He has given unto YOU today.

And with that… have a great rest of the week.  Face everything today with a rejoicing and gladness in your heart… and pass on the blessings of God to those you cross paths with!  … and as you do… keep asking yourself… “Whose Joy and Gladness of heart am I expecting to have and to share today?”