When the Rubber Hits the Road!

I think that I thoroughly confused my dog this morning.  When we arose, the skies were cloudy but not especially dark and the forecast for rain had been pushed out a few hours since I had last checked.  So, I told the dog that we should be able to take our usual morning walk after my coffee and Bible time, his breakfast and my shower.  But less than an hour later, big drops of precipitation began to pound the sidewalk and I turned to the pooch laying on the loveseat behind me and announced that it was looking like our walk was not gonna happen.

But within a few minutes the rain stopped and the skies lightened up a bit.  When I checked a couple different local weather apps, it looked like we had about a forty-five-minute window before another shower and potential of thunder was to begin.  So, I reported the change in plans to the confused looking dog, got him his breakfast and took a quick shower… And before I changed my mind again, when my shower and shave were finished, I threw on some clothes, grabbed my raincoat and guided my excited white ball of fur out the front door!

I always enjoy our morning walks and today was no different.  It was a little windy but warm and I was pleased that my decision to wear shorts was an appropriate one!  There were even a few golfers out on the course, so I was pretty much assured that I had made a good decision. 

Everything was fine on the walk.  Fiver got to greet his little Golden Retriever buddy Wallace who didn’t run when Fiver playfully barked his deep bark at him, but cheerfully barked back.  That was a first and it gave me a good opportunity to laugh!  Then, as if to put God’s stamp of approval on our decision to brave the elements this morning, as soon as we hit our property line in front of our house, upon our return, the raindrops began to reappear and we made it up to the covered porch with barely a splash!  Isn’t God Good!

And speaking of the goodness of God… prior to our walk, I had been reading from I Corinthians 13:7 where the Apostle Paul explained that LOVE, or as I described in our last blog post as “DOing the ACTION of LOVE”*,

“Puts up with anything, Trusts God always, Always looks for the best, Never looks back, But keeps going to the end.”  (The Message) 

When I had read that during my Bible study time, I had the immediate thought, that in order to DO that action of LOVE… one has to believe that the Word of God is true… Simple deduction right?  Why else would you be compelled take DO that ACTION if you didn’t believe it to be, not only true… but also an ACTION that would always prove to be right and helpful in every situation?

It reminded me of something that I had read last night before I turned out the light, in a book written by renowned English evangelist Smith Wigglesworth (1859-1947).  Wigglesworth was quoting a testimony of a man concerning the Word of God (in our Bibles) who declared,

“Never compare this Book with other books.  Comparisons are dangerous.  Never think or never say that this book contains the Word of God.  It is the Word of God.  It is supernatural in origin, eternal in duration, inexpressive in value, infinite in scope, regenerative in power, infallible in authority, universal in interest, personal in application, inspired in totality.  Read it through.  Write it down.  Pray it in.  Work it out.  And then pass it on.”

I realized the truth of that statement many years ago… and I continue to re-discover it on a daily basis!

It is the only way that I can DO the ACTION of LOVE and “put up with anything”… and I’ve had some awful things said both to me and about me during Piper’s illness… when I was at the lowest point in my life.  It is the only way that I can stretch my faith to “trust God always”, “look for the best in others”… especially when it seems very hard to find, attempt to “never look back” at past failures and persecutions and to get back up on my feet and “keep going to the end.”

How about you?

I pray that you have a good week.  We are in the midst of an all-out downpour, thunder and lightning storm right now.   Fiver and just I tried to sneak out in a break from the rain… and didn’t quite make it… and someone is NOT HAPPY about it.  I’m also reconsidering the whole idea of wearing shorts today as the temperature has dropped with the storm!

Hummm… what’s that scripture we just looked at?  Something about “Putting up with anything…”  NOW’s when the rubber hits the road!

 

*http://pjberruto.blogspot.com/2022/03/the-action-and-attitude-of-love.html