TWO PUPPIES
by Katy Skaggs
So I had a preacher moment this morning.
I have two puppies- well, they are adults now but I still refer to them (and will until the day they die) as “puppies.” One is an exuberant, in your face personality, whereas the other is more laid back and mellow. Melancholy almost, sometimes.
Every morning, when I drag myself out of bed, they both greet me. Lacey is always first, running and wiggling for all she is worth- and in her mouth is whatever toy she was closest to at the time. She does this when I come home too- she greets me with great enthusiasm, always with a toy of some sort in her mouth. Not to play with her- she just wants to bring it to me.
And then comes Logan. Slower, stretching and yawning on the way- meek and apologetic almost. And it’s just him. He never brings me a toy. But he wants to be there- he wants me to see him and know he’s there too.
I can guarantee you that I was every bit as happy to see my beloved gentle Logan who presented only himself- with nothing- as I was to see precious, energetic Lacey- with her mouthful of squeaky toy.
And then it occurred to me that God is the same way. He loves it when we bring our gifts to him, be it talents, time, finances or whatever we have to give. And He will receive us happily for it.
But if we don’t know what gift to bring or don’t feel we have anything useful to present to Him and approach with nothing, He welcomes us just the same.
We present ourselves before Him with gifts if we have them. Or we present ourselves before Him with nothing but ourselves and hope that is enough. His love and acceptance embrace both.
Just as I embrace my two very different puppies every morning. My heart is big enough for both of them- and God’s heart is way bigger than mine.
Katy Skaggs is the youngest of four sisters in our family; she lives on a small farm near Waynesville, Ohio with her menagerie: three horses, two dogs and a cat. She works full time as a laboratory (quality control) supervisor in a facility that produces parts for the automotive industry … somehow she balances the demands of work, stopping in to check on mom and dad on a daily basis and taking care of her horses … she is amazing! I don’t see how she manages to juggle it all … she is so humble and told me no one would be interested in her little piece on God and her dogs. ~~ Jeemes Akers
