Happy Monday Daily Cup Readers! I hope you had a wonderfully blessed and enjoyable Christmas. Now, we're looking ahead toward 2010. It's so amazing to see how rapidly time moves forward. We've got to be prepared to move forward too.
There's something that happened over the week-end that serves as the inspiration for this post. You might be able to guess that my 3 year old, Kaleb, was at the center of this whole thing.
Well, Kaleb has this little "Jingle Bell Dog" that wears a Santa Claus hat, has bells on its ears and tail, and sings Jingle Bells... all year round. He loves that dog so much, which he named Chip by the way; his late Grandma Rosie gave it to him last Christmas before she recently passed away. He drags Chip through the house all the time, even though the poor dog is broken. Most of the stuffing came out. Even with new batteries, Chip no longer sings Jingle Bells. His tail and ears don't move up and down anymore either.
So, for Christmas, Kaleb requested a new Jingle Bell Dog. Of course, my husband and I obliged. But, I didn't know where Grandma had gotten the dog from. I scoured every store I could think of and then, it hit me. She loved to shop at K-mart. In a last ditch effort, before giving up completely, I made a stop by K-mart and sure enough, Grandma was a creature of habit. The very same dog was sitting on the shelf.
I decided to really surprise Kaleb and upgrade to the bigger deluxe model (Pictured above). I was so excited to unveil the new and improved Chip when Christmas day finally rolled around. Kaleb, though hesitant at first, embraced the new dog and began playing with him.
"So, what are you gonna name him Kaleb?" I asked. "I'm dunna name him Chip," he said resolutely. I laughed and thought to myself, "Oh, OK...very original." Well, on the very next day, Kaleb was stumbling around the house in his plaid pajamas, looking perplexed. "I tant find Chip," he said sadly to which I cheerfully replied, "Oh, here he is," lifting the plush dog off my bed.
Kaleb frowned and shook his head no."I'm yooking for duh old one mommy," he said, walking out.
I just sat there, shaking my head and grinning, while thinking, Even with a brand new functioning dog, that he asked for, Kaleb wants the old torn up one!
We can be just like that too. We ask God for change, but we don't really want or like to change and move forward. As a result, we grow attached to "broken" things and choose comfort over progress. Sadly, we often don't realize that we're our own worst enemy when it comes to accepting increase in our lives. We tend to gravitate to what we're accustomed to and acquainted with, while shying away from what's new... even if it is better.
Today, I want you to change your mind about change. Just because something is familiar and comfortable, doesn't mean you should dig your heels in and refuse to open yourself up to new ideas, options and opportunities. While every new thing isn't necessarily from God, there are some that are indeed ordained by Him.
You have to be sensitive to His leading to recognize the difference.
It's time to get yourself ready, because there is a season coming in your life (It may already be here) when the Lord will challenge you to branch out and move forward. If you're not careful, you can miss God, as well as your season of increase.
This is why we all have to be careful to obey God's leading and embrace the new things He wants to do in our lives. When you feel Him urging you to move ahead, don't ignore His leading, because blessings are on the other side of that move!
As always, thanks for reading and until next time... may you be empowered to prosper!
Dianna Hobbs
