I love my mom's dog Chip-Chip. I first blogged about him in July 2009. And now that our lovable four-footed friend has been a part of our family for nearly two years, I have such a soft spot for him. Each time I visit my parents, Chip-Chip meets me at the door playing, jumping, and running behind me. As soon as I sit down, he leaps into my lap and snuggles close to me.
He's such a sweetheart.
Well, yesterday, while visiting my mom, I ate dinner. As soon as Chip-Chip noticed my food, he stood on his hind legs and began begging. As usual, I became as spineless as a jellyfish while unsuccessfully attempting to ignore the furry, professional beggar. After only a few moments, I succumbed to the unrelenting gaze of those gleaming, black, pleading eyes.
Unsurprisingly, I gave into Chip-Chip's dog wish and fed him some of my meat.
Then, as soon the last trace of food disappeared from my glass plate, so did the loyalty of my closest companion. He was no longer interested in sitting still at my feet. Instead, the savvy scavenger had a new mission in mind—finding someone else with a full plate.
I was bamboozled by Chip-Chip, again.
Gotta love dogs, right?
Such behavior is typical and expected from man's best friend. But puppies aren't the only offenders. In our humanness, we behave this way sometimes also.
It is easy to seek God, sit at His feet, and remain loyal when we clearly see provision. We feel content, at ease, and favored when our plate is full of all the things we want.
But when we go through hard, troubled, lean times, it can feel much tougher to stay connected.
So, how can we continue to cling to God's word, worship Him for who He is, and seek God's face, not His hand?
While there is nothing wrong with expecting God to take care of us—Philippians 4:19 says, "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. " — there must be more to our relationship with Him than that.
If we follow Jesus only as long as He "keeps the good times rolling," when rough times hit, we will act like Chip-Chip, and hit the road.
That is why God longs for us to grow to a place where our devotion, love, and loyalty to Him is not contingent upon what He does for us. Otherwise, those unavoidable dark periods in our lives, will drive a wedge between us and our loving Father.
Oh, how unfortunate it would be to disconnect from our life-giving source when we need Him so desperately.
I know it is not always easy. In fact, sometimes our faith will get shaky. We are only human. But God is merciful. He is our strength in times of weakness.
Each time he said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT)
Feeling weak today?
Stay connected to Jesus Christ as John 15 instructs. Through Christ, we can do all things.
TODAY'S PRAYER: Lord, I thank You because Your love and faithfulness toward me never wavers; I want to be just like You. Please help me to remain consistent and connected tn times of plenty and want; joy and sorrow; on the mountaintop and in the valley. And when I feel too weak to stand in faith, please remind me that I can always rely on Your strength. I praise You now for confirming for me that as long as I remain in Your strong, loving, capable hands, everything will be alright. In Jesus' name, Amen.
