Several month's ago, one of my sister's girlfriends bought a dog for her family and when my nieces saw their new puppy, they said, "Ooh mommy, we want a dog! Can we have one? Can we, can we, please?" Reluctantly, my sister conceded.
Finally, after months of looking for the perfect pup, three days ago, my sister's family brought home their brand new pet. The kids named the lovable new pooch "Chip-Chip," and he's one of the most adorable, playful pups I've ever seen. I'm allergic to dogs, but I even took an allergy pill just so I could cradle him in my arms.
"The kids are sooo excited Dianna," my sister's voice beamed over the phone on Saturday night, as they gave Chip-Chip his first bath. But that enthusiasm wouldn't last long. You see, after he pooped in the house, cried overnight, and exhibited signs of extreme neediness, big sis began to sing another tune.
By the time yesterday rolled around she told me, "Girl, we're selling the dog."
I cracked up laughing, thinking she was joking initially. They just got the dog Saturday night! But as we continued talking, I realized she wasn't kidding. " We're gonna try to see if anybody in the family wants to buy him first," she said. "If not, we're putting him on the Internet."
Turns out, her 8 year old daughter, the ringleader of "Operation Get a Dog Now," had underestimated the level of responsibility involved. But once she realized that owning a puppy meant work, work and more work the idea didn't seem so novel anymore. So, now the excitement has devolved into annoyance and they're walking around with a "Chip Chip on their shoulders," because they're stuck with a dog they don't want.
It might seem comical, but how many times have we all gotten ourselves into situations, thinking we wanted something, only to get it and realize it's not AT ALL what we had in mind?
Come on, be honest. You might have jumped into a relationship prematurely; made an impulse purchase and later struggled with buyer's remorse; made a commitment to do something and later wished you hadn't offered after it's too late to rescind the statement... we've all done it.
That's why we have to be careful not to let our emotions guide our choices. Otherwise, our new "pet" will turn into our new "pet peeve" and we too, will be walking around with a chip on our shoulder--something that could have been avoided had we patiently allowed God to order our steps.
So, I encourage you to wait on the Lord before you run to the "pet store" to get that new thing you've been longing for. And always, always, be sure that, before you jump into anything, you have heard from God.
After all, just because you want something, doesn't mean it's for you to have it... and let the church say, amen!
As always, thanks for reading, and until next time... may you be empowered to prosper!
Dianna Hobbs
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