dog

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Impact Your Living By Who You Live For

Sometimes others can impact how you live … and not necessarily for the better.

impact your living by who you live for

Back in May of this year we looked after our daughter and son-in-law’s dog for two weeks. Neither Lily or I have had any pets, other than a turtle and an iguana, and those were many years ago. 

Having a dog in our home for two full weeks was a pretty big deal. 

All in all, it was a good experience and we really enjoyed having the little guy around. His name is Martin (you can read about him here).

Well, Martin’s back for another two week stint and things have been going very well … other than we would like to give him a bath, but that’s not something we are going to try.

There is one big thing I’ve noticed with having him around this time. He’s having an impact on how I’m living.

I think most people adjust to whoever they are around. You may be more of a listener with some, or more of a talker with others. You may not bring up certain topics around some people. It all depends on who you’re with. 

I’ve discovered that this principle doesn’t just pertain to people; it also pertains to other creatures like dogs.

I have been altering how I’m living in my own home because of the furry fella who’s pretty much by our side all day long.

Martin has some special qualities that keep him front and centre in our attention. He’s definitely the neediest one in the family. 

For starters, he likes to be petted, probably 24/7 if he could get it. He also likes chasing squirrels and rabbits which we have plenty of in our backyard. 

But it’s more about the things he doesn’t like that has impacted my living experience … in my own home.

He doesn’t like being downstairs very much and so I’ve found myself hanging around upstairs more than I normally would. Instead of working on my computer at my desk, I’ve been bringing my laptop upstairs and working at the kitchen table. 

He doesn’t like my pool cue, nor does he like the sound the pool balls make when they smack together. So I’ve tended not to play as much pool the last week and a half. 

Martin also doesn’t like it if Lily and I go to bed at different times. He likes it better when we go together. 

Once Lily goes to bed, Martin will keep coming downstairs to check on me. He will give me gestures, like he’s communicating, “Hey, are you coming upstairs now or what?”

That has led me to not finish the movie I’ve been watching, or to turn off the TV and not watch another episode of the program I’m binge watching at the time. 

And my response has been, “Okay, I’m coming now.” 

In the last two weeks, this little fuzzy fella has literally forced me to reduce my time in the family room and kept me living in a fraction of our home’s square footage.

I’m looking forward to having no restrictions on my living next week.

Here’s the thing: When you deeply care for someone – or something, in the case of Martin the dog – it will impact your living. It is also true with God. If you truly love God, it will impact how you live; you will want to live to please Him. You can judge how deeply you love God by the impact He has on your living.

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: Who is impacting your living right now? Leave your comments and questions below.

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My Brain Is Like A Stubborn Dog Sometimes

Sometimes I think my brain works much like a stubborn dog. You know, the kind of dog that does what it wants – or at least tries to – instead of doing what you want.

my brain is like a stubborn dog sometimes

I found my brain in that kind of mode yesterday afternoon when I was working on my sermon. There wasn’t even that much more I needed to write, but I was getting nowhere. 

I had no will power to stick with it. Something would grab my attention and I would go with it. 

… Like a dog whose nap gets disturbed by a chipmunk. 

A big old dog could be sleeping away but is suddenly awakened by a chipmunk in the yard. He can’t leave it alone. The dog runs after it, trying to sniff it out of its hole. 

Then a butterfly catches his attention and he’s off leaping and running after it. 

He was sleeping five minutes ago and now look at him. 

My brain works that way sometimes – yesterday was one of those times. I was stuck. And I just couldn’t get past one point in my sermon. I spent a lot of time staring at the computer screen and my white board. 

Finally I decided to take a break. I needed to do somethings outside the church anyway.

I was gone for an about an hour. But I hoped that when I came back my brain would have reset and I would be able to get moving on the sermon again.

No such luck. I just couldn’t stay with it long enough to get anywhere. 

It was like my brain was saying, “Forget it, Paul. I’m not doing this right now. You can waste your time trying, but I’m not budging.”

… Which kind of reminds me of my brother’s dog, Chopper. He is an Old English bull dog so the name really fits him. 

He weighs in at about 75 plus pounds so when he decides he’s not going any further on a walk, sometimes he wins. 

We’ve been on walks down to the beach with my brother and about half way there Chopper has decided to pull the old stubborn donkey routine. He has locked his legs and no amount of pulling on his leash would faze him.

No way will he continue.

Instead he would pull in the direction of the cottage, and sometimes it was just best to take him back and then go for a stroll on the beach without him. 

That’s what I ended up having to do. I tried and tried to work at that sermon, but I finally gave in and stopped for the night. 

This morning I had hockey at 6:30 am, but for some reason I woke up at 5:00 am. I decided to spend a few minutes on my sermon. 

And, wouldn’t you know it, just like Chopper was ready for a walk to the beach the next day, I spent forty minutes on my sermon and got it finished. 

Here’s the thing: When do you spend time with God? When your brain is more like Chopper’s or when you are fresh and eager to think and learn? If you find that the time you spend with God is often a struggle, maybe you just need to find a time when your brain is not so stubborn. Try something new; try a different time. Notice when you are fresh and be sure to give God the best of your mind. 

That’s Life!

Paul

Question: What time of day are you at your best? Leave your comments and questions below.

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