Before she was gone, I had been getting quite frustrated with her. After all, she was a pup! She would chew on things that she wasn't supposed to. She would make noise and wake Lauren. She would wake me up several times a night needing to go out. Basically, I was in a "your driving me nuts dog!" kind of attitude about her.
But then she was gone. Suddenly, I missed seeing her little face. I missed the way she greeted me when I walked in a room, so happy with her tail wagging. I missed having her snuggle up with me at night. My heart was broken, I wanted her back so much. We had all but given up hope when 11 days later the phone rang and the lady who had found her was calling because she saw my sign on the off-ramp.
Going to pick her up was one of the happiest times I can remember. The whole family breathed a collective sigh of relief that Sam was home, and we all slept better that night not wondering where she was.
I don't mind all the silly and naughty little things she does anymore. I'm just so glad she's home, I appreciate even the annoying things- like the way she literally follows me everywhere I go and I tend to trip over her several times a day.
What does that have to do with marriage? Well, it's more about thankfulness and recognizing the things in life that we should appreciate.
I was stuck in a bad attitude about Sam until she was gone, and I realized that there was a lot more about her to love than there was to be irritated with.
Sometimes we live with an irritated attitude towards our spouse. We get our minds in a place that rarely, if ever, focus' on being thankful.
Col 2:6-7
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him,
7 rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
NIV
It clearly tells us here that living in Christ involves an attitude of thankfulness. In fact, overflowing with thankfulness. Think of a cup of coffee. :)
You can have a cup of coffee, but if you have a cup of coffee that is overflowing...let's just say that it's making a bigger impression on your world!
Let's be thankful and enjoy the gift of this day with our loved ones.
I'm praying for our marriages.
18 comments:
For us who are married, our walk with Christ MUST be pure in our homes first. I believe the reason we are witnessing so many ineffective and weak Bodies of Christ (Churches) is this very fact. We indeed need to pray for marriages and that we love as we are instructed in The Word.
Susan
Very true Susan! This message extends far beyond marriage. I know that I have seen the same attitude in churches too. It's as destructive as cancer, I've been guilty of it in the past but I am committed to not letting satan use me in that way ever again.
In marriage, we are one...if we hurt our spouse, we hurt ourselves.
In the church body, we are one body, when we hurt part of our own body, we hurt ourselves.
There are better ways to deal with things than complain, whisper, mock and talk behind peoples backs.
If we can't deal with it head on, we should move on so as not to hurt others. And hopefully we will deal with the problem in our own heart.
Sorry...you hit a sore spot with me. I've just seen too many people hurt by a "know it all" spirit.
Thank you,Sue!
Just to clarify! I didn't mean Susan had a "know it all" spirit! :)
There is no disputing that many churches are weak and ineffective.
But there is a big difference between being a complainer in a church and recognizing the need for change in a church.
It's this attitude that destroys us:
Gal 5:15
15 If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
NIV
Thanks for the reminder to hug my guy tonight!
This is such an important lesson that we all need to learn. Sometimes I read your posts and wish someone had mentioned these things to me during the first 3 years of my marriage! I made so many mistakes that could have been avoided...
Xandra
I've been studying in Ephesians, and chapter 5 has very similar sentiments. Walking in love... giving thanks in all things... submitting to one another in the fear of God. All great components for life, but especially for marriage. My Bible Study group just started "The Love Dare" together. Talk about a challenge! Even in a "good" marriage, when you start really paying attention to how you are walking, how you are living... wow. Eye opening and convicting... but what a blessing to realize that it's never too late to begin treating your spouse with new appreciation and affection. Thanks for a great post, Sue!
There are so many times I have walked in that irratated spirit when I should forgive and move on to that overflowing cup. Then there are days when forgiveness comes easy and those days I have noticed that I spent more time in His word walking with a more thankful heart. I know I am a work in progress and get irratated my lack of obedience.
I agree with you,Sue and Susan(comments).
Miriam
We are just starting the Love Dare. My neice is starting the group. At first, I thought "Why do I need to participate? We've been married almost 38 years". Then I knew I was called to help those new in marriage. Ofcourse, our marriage has had problems as all. But, I can honestly say that Larry is my best friend. I cannot imagene him not in my life. Thanks for the great blog! Ginger
How nice to run across your post! We do need to appreciate our loved ones and be thankful for them. If we'll always look for the good in our marriage, we will find it!
That is a message we all need to hear more often. God places people in our paths and we need to be thankful for each one. So glad you got your little puppy back too..
You always inspire me Sue! I received my first blog award today from Val over at http://thoughtsofvalann.blogspot.com and wanted to pass it on to you. You were one of my first blogs to visit and I've been hooked since. You can see it posted at http://mywordstoliveby.blogspot.com :-)
Sue - Love your pup story and the lesson for our lives and relationships. Makes me appreciate my pup and husband more!
Thanks for sharing! Fun to find your site (thanks to Mel of Mel's World) and love the praise and coffee connection. (Our church opens the huge lobby up 7 days/wk with free coffee and wifi, which I use for meetings a lot. We're thankful for coffee too!)
Thanks! Debba / Girlfriendology
I praise God for your thoughts this week... words that pierce my heart as I have grown a very irritated spirit lately and desire to sever it from my daily life. I really needed this encouragement. Starting in February I am "hosting" a little 30 day Husband Encouragement Challenge. I am very excited...
So glad you and your family were re-united with your 4 legged family member... she is cute. I experienced kind of the same thing with our cat. :0) but I think her homecoming is begining to ware off :0).
JOYfully in Him,
Kelli
I love your posts and enjoy reading the various comments.
Susan really hits home with comments regarding our walk with Christ. I know I've been guilty of of not putting him first. We were so miserable then he helped me realize what was more important.
Thank you - as always I try to start my day by reading your blog.
Amen!
I hope it's okay for a guy to leave a comment here.
My wife and I have had lots of dogs in our 30+ years of marriage, and there's still reminders on our rocking chair to prove it. After the puppy chews the wood off, it doesn't come back on with a little Pledge!
Sometimes we spouses can irritate our spouses, causing unnecessary pain hurt feelings. It's not always easy, either, to fix the situation, but it is so necessary.
Thanks for a great post.
aaaaawwwwwwww! Yay! I am so happy you got your dog back!!:o)
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