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| Pascal likes to eat. A lot. But he didn’t always. |
Many of you know that my youngest golden retriever, Pascal, got the dreaded parvovirus when he was just four months old.
It was awful. He almost didn’t make it. I will spare you the details, but let me just say, it was some of the worst two weeks of my life!
But he survived and he never looked back.
Once he was home, I started to notice something about him.
He ate…differently. In fact, he was voracious in his hunger. The second I would put the bowl of food in front of him, he’d gobble up every last bit, then turn to his older sister and try to sneak some of her food.
Let me back up.
Before the parvo, he’d eat, but he was easily distracted. He’d nibble a little, then wander around, then go back, eat a little more. But he sometimes wouldn’t finish his food and often didn’t seem too interested in it.
But when he was sick, he basically went about ten days without eating anything.
It wasn’t until he was without food that he learned to appreciate it. And still, to this day, he eats as if every meal might be his last. Like a little hog.
And you know what?
I wanna be like my dog.
Yep, I said it. But not with food (that wouldn’t be too good).
I want to be like that with God’s Word.
I’ve gone through trouble in my own life. When my mom was sick and later died, I’d spend hours in God’s Word and found such great comfort in prayer. I’d journal pages upon pages of prayer.
But that was over eight years ago. And I’m ashamed to admit, I don’t do that anymore.
I don’t know when it happened, or why, but I slowly forgot what that hunger felt like. I got distracted by everything else. Began to drift away from the food. Sometimes, I wouldn’t finish my meal of His Word for the day. Other days, I didn’t eat at all.
But I want to be like Pascal. I don’t want to take the meal for granted. I want to be voracious for each moment I spend in the Word, in prayer.
And I don’t ever, ever want to forget what it was like in those dark days, when God was my only comfort. Because THAT reminds me of His goodness, and His faithfulness…and of how much I desperately need Him.
Your Turn: Do your pets or kids ever do something that totally makes you think about your own life? And how do you keep yourself voracious for His Word?
I have seasons when I forget to be voracious for His word. Thanks for the reminder to get back to it! My daughter amazing with people, she teaches me to not be so serious and introverted 🙂
That is so cool that your daughter has traits that draw you out!
My kids constantly teach me. Or should I say God constantly teaches me through my children. 🙂
Yes, I love how He's behind it all!
I just went through a season of pain…I've been leaning on God a lot these days. I do understand where you are coming from, Lindsay. It took this season to bring me back to where I was a few years ago, hungering for Him. Some how, I had just got caught up in the world again and drifted. It does seem we drift at times. I'm renewing myself again, for Him. I want my heart clean again.
I'm sorry you've had a rough time, Loree. I wouldn't have chosen my painful past, but I wouldn't change the effect of it for anything!
I pull myself back to His word often. I seem to need a tug from various sources. But once that tug occurs, I feel better already to get back to Him.
I know what you mean, Kristin. It's so awesome to have such a strong anchor.
So true, Lindsay. I want to have a hunger for God in high seasons and in low.
Amen, Julie!
Your fur babies are so very sweet, Lindsay! I wish I stayed home long enough to have dogs. But I love my kitty cats! Thanks for this great analogy today, Friend. Excellent stuff!
I miss my kitty, but I do love my pups too. 🙂
Thank you for being so transparent Lindsay! This is such an encouraging post and reminder for all of us. My kids came into my life and brought with them a vulnerability I had never known. I'm constantly praying for, with, and about them and keeping tabs on my own relationship with God to make sure it reflects authenticity and the same reliance and love I hope they'll have in their own lives one day.
I'm sure I'll feel the same way when I have kids. 🙂
Powerful. One word to convey your post today. How often do we get easily distracted by the things of life? Way, way too easily for me. I have the privilege of driving my kids to school every morning (well the younger two). My oldest daughter, keeps a devotional I purchased at Christmas in the car. She reads it out loud every morning. I should say, I never told her to, I never asked her to…she started doing it on her own.
Thank you Lindsay for the reminder today. I'll say again. Powerful.
thanks for share...