From Bother to Blessing
With Thanksgiving just around the
corner, I thought I'd give thanks to God for our dog, Pepsi. Yes,
you read me right! Since moving to the city of Selkirk in the end of
July, Pepsi has been such a blessing. But it didn't start out that
way....
One of the things that was stressful about our move from the country to town was wondering how our dog would cope.... or maybe how we would cope with him. Pepsi was raised in Ottawa for his first year of life and had a very urban dog life: crated at night and when we left the house, 3 walks during the day, and an occasional visit to the dog park. Over the three years that we lived on our acreage, he really turned into an outdoor dog. He only slept in the house in winter (and even then it had to be quite cold for him to come in), had free reign of the yard day and night, and rarely went for walks. Oh, and I forgot to mention one thing.... he loved to bark. He barked at people as a way to say “Come, play with me”. He barked at the other dogs in the subdivision (I'm not sure what they were saying to one another). And he barked at nothing – or so it seemed to me but I'm sure there was something he was barking at through the night.
So, the big questions when we were moving were: Is Pepsi going to drive the neighbours crazy with his barking? And would we be able to keep him?
Things started out a little rough as one neighbour told me that she could hear Pepsi barking in the night and that she was afraid to let her little dog outside because she thought that Pepsi would break through the rickety fence that separates our two yards and attack her dog.
What did we do? We made a plan. We got Pepsi sleeping in the house at nights. We determined what we would do to get him to stop barking and consistently followed through. And we established a daily routine that included three walks: early morning, early afternoon, and evening. I'm happy to report that things have been going very well. It is working. Even the next door neighbour has come to not be afraid of Pepsi!
But here is where the “bother” part of my title fits in. Keeping to this routine can be a bother. Every morning, every afternoon, every evening someone has to go walk Pepsi. Most of the time it is me or I am coordinating who will do it. I have to get up early (not something I'm naturally prone to do) and I have to stop what I'm doing in the mid-day or in the evening to go outside.... no matter what the weather.
The bother of having to do this, however, has become a huge blessing. A blessing of having time to praise and pray, of having more time in the day because I got up earlier, of getting to enjoy the sunrise and/or sunset, of creating special times of talking with Clint or one of the kids when we go together, of getting exercise, of being in nature, and of the positive effect all these things have on my mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health! Sounds great doesn't it? Yes, but I'm very aware that all I am receiving has come to me through something that I can easily view as a bother, something I can grip and complain about and resist doing or put off.
So, what am I learning through this? I am learning to exercise self-control, to not listen to my immediate emotions (“I DON'T WANT TO GET OUT OF BED!” For example), and to start (literally) walking, trusting that things will get better. Often when I stumble out the door in my sleepy state, it is only a minute or two into the walk that I find myself thanking God for being outside and awake to another new day.
I am noticing that this principle of “bother to blessing” can be true in many other areas of my life if I am open to God's presence with us and His love and power at work in and through us. Doing the dishes can turn into a time to think or pray. Misbehaviour of a child can turn into an opportunity to lovingly connect with them and help them grow in maturity. Even waiting for a computer to power up can be an opportunity to centre oneself on God. All of the “bothers of life” can be the perfect times to trust the Holy Spirit to give you His fruit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).
How do I get from an attitude of “this is a bother” to “this is a blessing”? Two verses come to mind:
1) I pray Psalm 51:12b “grant me a willing spirit to sustain me”.
2) I practice 1 Thes. 5:18a “give thanks in all circumstances”.
I hope you have a gratitude filled Thanksgiving weekend and that any bothers that come your way turn into blessings!
In Christ,
Tracy
One of the things that was stressful about our move from the country to town was wondering how our dog would cope.... or maybe how we would cope with him. Pepsi was raised in Ottawa for his first year of life and had a very urban dog life: crated at night and when we left the house, 3 walks during the day, and an occasional visit to the dog park. Over the three years that we lived on our acreage, he really turned into an outdoor dog. He only slept in the house in winter (and even then it had to be quite cold for him to come in), had free reign of the yard day and night, and rarely went for walks. Oh, and I forgot to mention one thing.... he loved to bark. He barked at people as a way to say “Come, play with me”. He barked at the other dogs in the subdivision (I'm not sure what they were saying to one another). And he barked at nothing – or so it seemed to me but I'm sure there was something he was barking at through the night.
So, the big questions when we were moving were: Is Pepsi going to drive the neighbours crazy with his barking? And would we be able to keep him?
Things started out a little rough as one neighbour told me that she could hear Pepsi barking in the night and that she was afraid to let her little dog outside because she thought that Pepsi would break through the rickety fence that separates our two yards and attack her dog.
What did we do? We made a plan. We got Pepsi sleeping in the house at nights. We determined what we would do to get him to stop barking and consistently followed through. And we established a daily routine that included three walks: early morning, early afternoon, and evening. I'm happy to report that things have been going very well. It is working. Even the next door neighbour has come to not be afraid of Pepsi!
But here is where the “bother” part of my title fits in. Keeping to this routine can be a bother. Every morning, every afternoon, every evening someone has to go walk Pepsi. Most of the time it is me or I am coordinating who will do it. I have to get up early (not something I'm naturally prone to do) and I have to stop what I'm doing in the mid-day or in the evening to go outside.... no matter what the weather.
The bother of having to do this, however, has become a huge blessing. A blessing of having time to praise and pray, of having more time in the day because I got up earlier, of getting to enjoy the sunrise and/or sunset, of creating special times of talking with Clint or one of the kids when we go together, of getting exercise, of being in nature, and of the positive effect all these things have on my mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health! Sounds great doesn't it? Yes, but I'm very aware that all I am receiving has come to me through something that I can easily view as a bother, something I can grip and complain about and resist doing or put off.
So, what am I learning through this? I am learning to exercise self-control, to not listen to my immediate emotions (“I DON'T WANT TO GET OUT OF BED!” For example), and to start (literally) walking, trusting that things will get better. Often when I stumble out the door in my sleepy state, it is only a minute or two into the walk that I find myself thanking God for being outside and awake to another new day.
I am noticing that this principle of “bother to blessing” can be true in many other areas of my life if I am open to God's presence with us and His love and power at work in and through us. Doing the dishes can turn into a time to think or pray. Misbehaviour of a child can turn into an opportunity to lovingly connect with them and help them grow in maturity. Even waiting for a computer to power up can be an opportunity to centre oneself on God. All of the “bothers of life” can be the perfect times to trust the Holy Spirit to give you His fruit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).
How do I get from an attitude of “this is a bother” to “this is a blessing”? Two verses come to mind:
1) I pray Psalm 51:12b “grant me a willing spirit to sustain me”.
2) I practice 1 Thes. 5:18a “give thanks in all circumstances”.
I hope you have a gratitude filled Thanksgiving weekend and that any bothers that come your way turn into blessings!
In Christ,
Tracy
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