Meatballs

I’ve talked in past blogs about Fiver’s predecessor Mandie.  She was a sweetly mannered black with copper socked Aussie mix that tended to follow Piper everywhere she went!  I think that she never forgot that it was Piper’s passion and tenacity with the owner of the home that we were renting at the time, that enabled her freedom from the dismal life at the animal shelter! Mandie was a great dog… but she did have a few quirks about her.  First of all, she was a runner.  If she could squeeze out the front door when someone opened it… she was gone in a flash… which led to some interesting chases and their resulting stories!

Another humorous behavior was that she couldn’t seem to catch a thing!  Whether it was a small ball, a toy or even a meatball!  You see, my Mom always tossed the last meatball she made for our weekly spaghetti and meatball feast when I was a kid, to our family dog Daisy.  And through the years, I endeavored to follow the same endearing tradition with all the dogs that Piper and I had in our family. But no matter how slowly or gently or on target I tossed a meatball to Mandie… it ALWAYS seemed to bounce off her nose!

Fiver, on the other hand, would make any fielder in professional baseball to be proud of him!  He’s good at catching the plastic squeaker balls I toss to him each day, is quick to zero in on the Milkbone treats I loft across the room to him, and I think has only missed one meatball… and that was mainly because my aim wasn’t too good that day!

Fiver’s ability to catch things that are cast his way makes for a good analogy of I Peter 5:5-7.  In these verses the rambunctious Apostle Peter declared that: “God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.  Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” (KJV) 

In my blog post last Saturday, I discussed some thoughts about the direct connection between our humble hearts and God’s grace.  Today I’d like to focus on the very last part of these verses.  As I enjoy tossing or casting balls, treats and even meatballs to Fiver for him to catch, God wants us to enjoy casting any and all of our cares upon Him… because He, as The Passion Translation states it, “always tenderly cares for you.” 

I believe that it is particularly important to recognize that Peter is distinctly talking about two different kinds of care here.  The footnotes in The Cambridge Bible explains that the care that we are to cast on the Lord implies “distracting anxiety,” while the care of the Lord toward us “conveys the idea simply of the care that foresees and provides.”  This definition had deep and personal meaning to me because I’d witnessed the effects of these two cares during Piper’s final earthly journey. 

It is easy for me to see how the cares that attempt to overtake us, can act as a large distraction to our good fight of faith but yet, immediately disappear from our radar when we cast them into the “mighty hand of God.”  Simply said, one care steals your faith and physical strength while the other builds and encourages your faith and in turn, strengthens your resolve and uplifts your tired frame!

I had another thought while walking Fiver yesterday… This verse specifically directs us to cast our care upon the Lord, right?  Well, an interesting activity that Piper and I seemed to face on almost a daily basis, was when individuals reacted to our situation in fear… and then tended to complicate our lives by the way they tried their best to CAST THEIR CARES and their FEARS ON US… instead of on the Lord!  You talk about added distraction to what we were already facing... WHEW! 

As I’ve stated on many occasions, this was one thing that I DID NOT EXPECT to have to deal with because it only further served to complicate our all-ready complicated situation and took precious time away from my focus on Piper and her needs!  I also observed that the more I refused to catch what was being CAST my way… the more infuriated those tossing their misdirected cares seem to get!  I can’t say that I ever got angry when Mandie couldn’t catch anything, but it did frustrate me at times!

I do remember one time when she actually did catch a meatball… but it was simply because I stood about one foot away from her and practically dropped it into her mouth!  That was a rewarding experience for me… just like when I stay close to my Father God and cast all my cares directly into His hands!  It’s hard to miss the target when your tossing your cares to the right subject while staying really close to Him!

The Jamison-Fausset-Brown commentary sums up I Peter 5:5-7 perfectly by declaring: “The advantage flowing from humbling ourselves under God’s hand is confident reliance on His goodness. Exemption from care goes along with humble submission to God.”  

The lessons I’ve learned in Piper’s and my past concerning these verses, stand as strong examples for me as I continue to seek out God’s plans for my today and tomorrows without her.  The difference though, is that I’m finding that many of the cares that are being cast my way are coming from myself, instead of from others!  But I am also learning that I have to follow the Lord’s particular plan for ME and not try to catch and run with all the “good ideas” that others are casting my way concerning the steps they think that I should be taking right now.

I am thankful for the quiet, reflective times that come my way… like at night when I take Fiver out for his last stand before bedtime.  While he romps around the darkened yard, I enjoy standing in the middle of the lawn and gazing at the myriad of stars that twinkle above me.  It somehow makes me feel close to God and causes me to wonder if Piper is looking down on me through the windows to heaven that the stars seem to provide! 

In those moments of peace, I hear the voice of the Lord reassuring me that He has my life under the safety and control of His mighty hand… and I remember how my confident reliance on His goodness had gotten me through the hard times of my recent past and am encouraged that it will continue to successfully guide me through the uncertainties of my future.

What about you?  To whom are you casting your cares upon?  You know… a meatball caught is a lot nicer than one that misses its mark, for there is no red-saucy mess to have to clean off the kitchen floor!  By casting our cares upon the Lord… we are also left with NO MESS to clean up!

Have a good rest of the week!  Our temps are supposed to drastically drop tomorrow!  I do believe that winter is knocking on our door!  But no matter what happens… keep expecting God’s best!