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/ Avoid Divorce

21 Days and Counting…

When I released our juvenile golden retriever from her “stay” this morning, she literally bounded over to me with great joy. A few moments earlier, on the receiving end of corrective words delivered with a scowling face, she sulked to her bed, dropping the stolen stuffed animal on the way. She has this habit of sneaking into my daughter’s room and pilfering her stuffed animals. In spite of the flawed nature of this lovely animal, God used her to teach me something today. I realized this morning that she does something I do NOT do well and need to work on.

She lives in the NOW.

She never carries a grudge.

She also only thinks highly of us.

I wished I could be the person my dog thinks I am.

I smiled, remembering the bazillion times a day someone comes in or goes outside. Wherever she is, no matter how long it has been since she has seen you, five minutes or five hours, she is right there, in that moment, and thrilled in your company. Her whole body wags, and she nearly bursts with joy. I can almost hear her in my head, “OH!! THERE YOU ARE!! SO GOOD TO SEE YOU!!! I’VE MISSED YOU SO VERY VERY MUCH!!”

I just stinkin’ love it.

Too often, we squash hope and happiness in marriage and other relationships by failing to live in the now. We get all historical, and fail to see whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, praiseworthy and excellent. Instead of giving thanks, we’re giving ourselves grief…just by remembering the wrong things.

Dear God,

Thank you for Your creation. Thank You for using everything to speak to us, if we will but listen. Help us today to live in the now. Help us not allow historical thoughts to skew reality into something negative. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.

Dare ya to join us for 21 days to the release of The Respect Dare everywhere (it even made it to some Walmarts! – we’re moving up in the world 🙂) – I’ll try to have a small thing we can do nearly every day – I’d promise every day, but I have low expectations of my behavior these days, but I’ll do my best, how’s that?

At any rate, hope you’ll join us on the journey.

Carpe Diem. Seize THIS day.

Love to you,

~Nina

8 Commments

  1. I read your blog today and it is so good

    She lives in the NOW.
    She never carries a grudge.
    She also only thinks highly of us.
    I wished I could be the person my dog thinks I am.

    This is so excellent and such a good example to all of us!!!!!!!!!

    I am going to forward to this to a bunch of people.

    1. Spencer, you are a cool guy. I think God is always speaking – it’s just whether or not we are listening. Thanks for filling in the details for me about the WOF thing on the other post, BTW.
      Blessings to you, sir,
      Nina

      1. Thank you Nina for your good words and Blessings!!!!!

        One thing that has me listening to God is to play

        beautiful Christian worship songs as I do other things.

        I’m listening to Chris Tomlin right now but there are

        so many excellent tapes by so many really

        very Godly ladies and men right now

        who are coming out with one beautiful worship song after another.

        Are we in heaven?

        1. One verse that I would like to share is
          from the Message translation.

          Psalm 34:9
          The Message (MSG)

          Worship God if you want the best;
          worship opens doors to all his goodness.

  3. Aahh .. Nina .. so true … I will sieze as many moments as I can today .. trying to grasp God’s amazing grace as I go 🙂

  4. “We get all historical, and fail to see whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, praiseworthy, and excellent.” Ouch! That one stung a bit because it’s so true!

    1. I know, right? 🙂 Wish it were not so! Praying more of Him, less of me… 🙂
      Glad you are here, lovely!
      Nina

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