Sydney Reminds Us It's Simple

Our rescue dog Sydney celebrated her 4th birthday last week. What joy our rescue dog has brought us (and a few other things...) Observing her has taught me some things to apply to my relationship with God. See if any of her “tips” resonate with you:

Stay close. Sydney always lays right by my feet when I’m sitting on the couch or at our kitchen farm table so she's ready for my next move. If you’ve been to our house you know it can be tricky to stand up without stepping on her! I too need to spend time “at the feet” of my Jesus.

Be on alert. Sydney is always on the lookout for anything that might bring harm to me. As we walk she’s looking all around as if something dangerous could suddenly appear.  I also need to be on alert to avoid temptations and recognize potential situations that are totally opposite of what God would desire for me.

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” 1Peter 5:8 NLT

Stick to a routine. Every day, despite the weather, Sydney wants expects a walk. “No excuses Mom.” I need to read my devotionals, pray and keep up with my daily bible study despite all the hundreds of things that try to interrupt my routine. No excuses.

Be patient and don’t give up. I don’t know the entire story of Sydney’s life before we adopted her at age two, but I do know she had a story. Her former owner became ill and so she gave up Sadie (Sydney’s former name~read more about that here.) and her brother-dog Baxter to be adopted. Baxter was adopted first and Sadie waited and waited at the Wags to Riches dog rescue for a family (us!) to fall in love with her.  I’m so glad she never gave up hope. I’m so glad we found her! I’m also glad God doesn’t give up on me (or you) and His plan might take patience but is always what is best for us.

Watch for signals. Sydney’s very good at determining that a walk might be imminent. If she sees my yoga or sweat pants... if I tie on my athletic sneakers... if she hears the sound of plastic poop grocery bags being grabbed to tie onto her leash... She’s very observant. I need to be conscious of signals that I get from the Holy Spirit. When I see something or hear something that nudges my heart or mind, I need to ask God what I can do in response.

Always be ready. Even if it was the middle of the night and it was a blizzard, Sydney would be ready; to go for a walk, to cuddle with me, or to cheerfully accept a command. There would be no hesitation. I need to be ready and flexible for whatever circumstances come my way. 

“You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." Luke 12:40

Trust and Forgive. Our puppy doesn’t hold grudges. She’s forgiven us for staying out late, not taking her on walks when we’re lazy and she even forgave her Daddy when he  drew blood trimming her nails. Our latest transgression was thinking her constant itching was due to allergies. We’d taken her to the Vet several weeks ago and she’d finished her meds. We gave her a bath and wondered why she still scratched and bit at herself nonstop. You know where this is going, right? 

Yep. Our dog has fleas! NOT cool. NOT fun. Poor girl! Boo hiss...We are busy trying to rid our new home and dog of the nasty little buggers (time and $$$) and hope our life group that's coming over for dinner tonight won't freak out if or when they read this blog post! Sorry friends...

Several lessons learned from the flea nightmare: You might think you’re protected, but the enemy is sneaky!...How do we react and what can we do more effectively in the future? Have Pets?... Use your Frontline or Advantage, do NOT busy generic. Sydney is now on a once-a- month flea pill called Nexgard. Worth every penny. 

What about People?... We need to trust, arm ourselves with God's word, and acknowledge that people make mistakes and deserve grace and forgiveness.

Love always. If you have a dog, you understand the unconditional love they give to their family. Sydney is SUCH a sweet, loving pet. No matter how I treat her or talk to her, she responds in love. Real love. I need to remember that love IS the only thing that really matters and it’s how I should treat everyone I encounter.

Simple? Perhaps it can be. Our sweet four-legged family member truly lives a contented life because she focusses on L O V E.

In His Grip, 

Jane                  Thanks for stopping by See Jane Learn!

xo

Drop In!

It’s been one month since we moved into our new house in downtown Gig Harbor. 

When we first walked into this house we knew. 31 years of marriage and eight + houses, we knew what we were hoping for. Due to a remodel about six years ago, it was move-in-ready. This house had it all; location, view, size, charm. Yep, we were smitten.

I still claim that God led us to this place and kept it available for us until we could finagle the finances and make an offer the seller would accept. It had been on the market (above our price range) all summer, and yet it was still waiting for us. After a stressful weekend of counter offers, we finally received the news that it could be ours and we've been on cloud nine ever since.

It's fitting that we named this home “Cloud Nine!” (It’s the ninth home we’ve lived in, it’s the ninth home on the right off of the main drag, and the view of the clouds on sunny or gray days is breathtaking.) 

Remember the letter that Jane and Michael Banks wrote to inform their parents of the type of nanny they hoped for? Well we, Jane and Michael C., "wrote" lists in our heads and prayed together and individually. Our prayers were heard and even though it took quite a few years and some zig zags back and forth to Chicago, we received our hoped-for home. We're as happy as the Banks children when they realized how special Mary Poppins was! 

We've already noticed a change in our routines; I walk to work, Michael swims at the YMCA, we invite friends over more, and we feel settled. Rather than constantly wondering when our landlord might go into foreclosure, going to open houses, drooling at Pinterest house ideas, or commuting back and forth, I can spend my time more wisely. We love having a place with a central location so we can offer up our home and have friends drop in.

A couple Sundays ago I was reminded of the book, City Mouse~Country Mouse. The story tells of cousins and their very different life-styles. It ends with the country mouse deciding he liked his simple life out in the country better than putting up with the dangers of city life. 

"Better beans and bacon in peace than cakes and jelly in fear!"

I, on the other hand, though thankful for the 2 1/2 years we spent out in the country  on the remote, quiet island, am thrilled to be a city girl. (My city is not a huge metropolis, perhaps village would be a better term...) I can even say this after we've encountered our first (hopefully only) theft.

We were HOME, watching the Seahawks game, and a young man swiped Mike’s bicycle right out of our garage. (We’d taken a break from the unpacking.) I find it a bit ironic since the police station is catty-corner from our house. Our local police were stellar and the bike was returned to us six hours later. (Lesson Learned: There is a much better chance of items being found, if you report thefts quickly.) 

I now keep the garage doors shut, lock our doors, wave to the police, and continue to be grateful for our barking guard dog Sydney. 

Even better than knowing the police will come quickly when we call, is knowing that every prayer I shoot up is heard. Sometimes God has a different plan than mine, sometimes I have to wait on the Lord's timing, and sometimes He gives more than I could ever imagine.  

How about you? Are you fond of living in the country or the city?

This "City" girl is on Cloud Nine and In His Grip, 

Jane

xo                               Thank you for stopping by See Jane Learn.

photo sources: Pinterest and Bing