"SPITTING STITCHES"

Yeah, you read that right.

Spitting stitches.

What on earth am I talking about?

The phrase "spitting stitches" refers to the concept that either permanent or absorbable sutures that are normally just under the skin poke through the skin and are palpable on the outside.

OK, yes, gross.

But, Marty (my granddog) knows all about it.

About six weeks ago, Marty developed a bump along his scarline.  Over the course of two weeks, it waxed and waned, until finally it got quite large and red.  Yup, off to the vet's again!

Turns out that Marty's body was having a reaction to one of his surgery sutures.  (You can read about his surgery here).  So, though the stitch didn't actually break through to the surface, it was causing all sorts of problems – which led to more money, two weeks of antibiotics, and another stint with the Cone of Shame.

Marty is fine.

And like the wonder dog that he is, he took all this in stride.

But the whole process got me thinking about how the body works.

Fine-tuned to survive, the body does all sorts of cool things.  And one of the things it does is fight off invaders that don't belong.  Like bacteria, viruses, and foreign objects.

Like errant stitches!

Dissolvable stitches are meant to dissolve.  (Well yes, duh).  But sometimes they don't.  And then the body takes over, and tries to repel them. Kinda like what happens when you get a sliver.  I remember once when a tiny piece of glass worked its way out of my foot a year after I had stepped on broken glass in my kitchen!

This process is called *rejection.*  

Our body's immune system is designed to seek and destroy any foreign object that it finds in our bodies.  Rejection occurs as the body's immune system responds to the invasive entity.  Without our conscious knowledge or voluntary direction, our body starts the processes necessary to protect itself and remove the offending object.

An inflammatory response occurs when tissues are injured.

Damaged cells release chemicals, causing swelling, and this helps isolate the foreign substance from further contact with body tissues.  The chemicals also attract white blood cells that "eat" germs and dead or damaged cells.


You might not be a medical person, but I find this fascinating.

And it provokes wondrous awe at how God created bodies to work (even doggy bodies!)


Now you know me, I'm always going to be looking for a *God lesson* – and here's what I'm thinking:


1) Our physical bodies are indeed "fearfully and wonderfully" made.  God, knowing the eventual ramifications of sin – that it would bring about disease, injury, pain – fashioned in-built defenses.  It's amazing to watch them at work.

"Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – how well I know it." (Psalm 139:14, NLT)


2) In the same way that our physical bodies can be "invaded," our spiritual beings are also subject to assault from things like temptation and sin. And since we were originally created perfect, sin is truly a "foreign object."

"When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned." (Romans 5:12, NLT)


3) Now, when we accept Jesus as our personal Savior, we also welcome the presence of the Holy Spirit.  And He's kinda like our spiritual immune system.  He works to seek and destroy sin in our lives.  He helps us to *reject* it!

"So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the…Spirit [desires] what is contrary to the flesh." 
(Galatians 5:16-17, NIV)


I'm glad to say that though Marty was "spitting mad" at some stitches a while back, he's doing fine now.

And once again, his life has reminded me of some spiritual truths.

Bodies are wonderfully made.

And God has created some incredibly effective defense mechanisms.  The immune system is a miracle, in my opinion.  Mysterious, effective, strong.

And, in the same way, the Holy Spirit provides spiritual defense against the marauding onslaughts of temptation and sin.  He, too, is mysterious, effective, and strong.  


My friends, we are cared for immensely.  Our Heavenly Father has blessed our bodies and our souls with some pretty amazing stuff!

And I am so grateful that He helps me reject the things that don't belong!!

Here's to *spitting sin*!!

It's all good. 

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up." (Hebrews 12:1, NLT)

"...now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.  Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator." (Colossians 3:8-10, NIV)

"That...is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.  You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." (Ephesians 4:20-23, NIV)

"Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls." 
(James 1:21, ESV)

"Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]." (Romans 12:2, AMP)

"'I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.'" (John 14:16-17, NASB)

"The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here.  So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living." (Romans 13:12, NLT)

"The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world.  On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." 
(2 Corinthians 10:4, NIV)



Are you *spitting sin* out of your life?



Linked with:

SHARING HIS BEAUTY, TELL ME A TRUE STORY, PLAYDATES WITH GOD, SOLI DEO GLORIA, SMALL WONDER, MONDAYS AT SOUL SURVIVAL, MONDAY'S MUSINGS, MAKE A DIFFERENCE MONDAY, GOOD MORNING MONDAYS, GRATEFUL HEART MONDAY, UNITE, TITUS 2 TUESDAY, LIFE GIVING LINKUP, MOTIVATE & REJUVENATE MONDAYS, TESTIMONY TUESDAY, TUESDAY TALK, TELL IT TO ME TUESDAYS, RA RA LINKUP, WOMEN HELPING WOMEN, A LITTLE R & R WEDNESDAYS, WHOLEHEARTED WEDNESDAYS, COFFEE & CONVERSATION, WAITING ON WEDNESDAY, TELL HIS STORY, WORD FILLED WEDNESDAY, THREE WORD WEDNESDAY, COFFEE FOR YOUR HEART, WOMEN WITH INTENTION WEDNESDAYS, WISE WOMAN, LIVE FREE THURSDAY, BELOVED BREWS, THOUGHT-PROVOKING THURSDAYS, EVERYDAY JESUS, GRACE AT HOME, SHINE, THOUGHTFUL THURSDAYS, FROM HOUSE TO HOME, LITTLE THINGS THURSDAY, FRIENDSHIP FRIDAY, LIGHT FRIDAY HIT LIST, FELLOWSHIP FRIDAYS, FAITH FILLED FRIDAY, SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS, COUNTING MY BLESSINGS, A GROUP LOOK, FAITH & FELLOWSHIP, GRACE & TRUTH, FELLOWSHIP FRIDAY, TGI SATURDAYS, DANCE WITH JESUS, SATURDAY SOIREE, STILL SATURDAY, WEEKEND BREW, RECOMMENDATION SATURDAY, SUNDAY STILLNESS, GIVE ME GRACE



BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

LIFE IS A BOWL OF BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Vegetables.

Used to hate 'em – now I love 'em.

Except.

Brussels sprouts.  (Which, for most of my life I thought were actually called brussel sprouts.  But no!  Brussels sprouts is correct, for they are thought to have originated in Brussels, Belgium).

I digress.

I have always hated Brussels sprouts.  

And lima beans.

And creamed corn.

I am actually gagging a bit even as I type their names.  Evidently they hold the power of suggestion over my gag reflex.

All the other squishy vegetables that I hated as a child?  I now love them! Zucchini is my best friend.  Butternut squash?  A winner!  I have even made peace with peas.  ("Give peas a chance…")

But not those three.


So, here's the deal, though.

My dad loved these vegetables, and he insisted on my mom fixing them all the time.

ALL. THE. TIME.

And the worst was when my mom got sick, and had to stay in bed.  Which never, ever happened.  So that's probably why I remember the one time it actually did happen.

And Dad cooked.

And yes, you guessed it.  Brussels sprouts galore.

My dad was a big guy, too – 6'3" and over 200 pounds.  So, not only did we have the dreaded Brussels, we also had Dad-sized portions.

We sat at that table for like two hours.

"You are not leaving that table until you've cleaned your plates."

Gag.

"And I'd better not hear the garbage disposer turned on."

Tears and gagging.


I don't know how I survived that night.

I do know how somebody survived – my sister.  You see, she had discovered that an old electrical outlet had been removed and papered over in the kitchen nook.  And she had wiggled a small opening in said wallpaper, and managed to hide unwanted food in there!

I'm not sure that I can describe the stench after several weeks.

Mom discovered it – thank goodness!

Otherwise, my dad might have punished us by serving Brussels sprouts, with a creamed corn sauce, and lima bean ice cream for dessert.

Gag.


I'm not really sure what triggered this blog post.

Perhaps a subconscious childhood flashback?

Table trauma?  Dinner despair?  Food fear?

Maybe someone's delicious blog recipe for Brussels sprouts?  (If you have a delicious recipe, I apologize.  But, for me, delicious and Brussels sprouts will never, ever fit in the same sentence.  Culinary oxymoron for me…)

Regardless, I'm thinking right now about how to derive a devotional from this!!

And, it's this.

Sometimes life is a bowl of Brussels sprouts.

Not cherries – but maybe the pits!!

Yup.

Things that we don't like at all.  

Oh sure, these things might be good for us, but they are not palatable to our innate desire for a comfortable and *tasty* life!

We want an ice cream life, I think.

Sugary and sweet.

Dessert and sodas and candy all the time.  

Here's the thing, though.  Empty calories will not nourish.  Not in real life, nor in our spiritual lives.

So sometimes it's necessary for us to experience things we don't like.

Because sometimes, the very things that we don't like are the very things that we most need.

Testing, refinement, character-building.


God knows this.

He knows exactly what *food* our souls need to survive, and to thrive.  And He is absolutely dedicated to "serving this up" in our lives.

Dessert?  Sometimes.  Fruits and Vegetables?  Often.

Yucky Brussels sprouts, lima beans, and creamed corn?

Oh yes, most certainly.


Life is a bowl of Brussels sprouts at times, whether we like it or not…

But dear Lord, I still want a balanced spiritual life.  I want to be fed well. So, bring to my life the things that aren't necessarily *tasty* and palatable to the comfortable life I want to live.

Serve up the stuff that is nutritious.

And good for me.

For this one thing I believe with all of my heart…

Father knows best!

Do you see Mr. Lima Bean
right smack dab
in the middle of this photo???
Gag.  

"You gave your good Spirit to instruct them.  You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst."(Nehemiah 9:20, NIV)

"All of them ate the same spiritual food, and all of them drank the same spiritual water.  For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ." (1 Corinthians 10:3-4, NLT)

"When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight, for I bear your name, LORD God Almighty." (Jeremiah 15:16, NIV)

"I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food." (Job 23:12, NASB)

"How sweet are Your words to my taste!  Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Psalm 119:103, NASB)

"The laws of the LORD are true...They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb." (Psalm 19:9-10, NLT)

"Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation.  Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness." (1 Peter 2:2-3, NLT)

"'Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you'...'Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'  Jesus then said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven.  For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.'  They said to him, 'Sir, give us this bread always.'

Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst...I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.  This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.  I am the living bread that came down from heaven.  If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.  And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.'" (From John 6, ESV)

"He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it.  Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, 'This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.'" (Luke 22:19, NLT)

"Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!" (Psalm 34:8, ESV)

"Give us today the food we need..." (Matthew 6:11, NLT)



Do you have a vegetable that you just can't stand?  What is it?




Linked with:

SHARING HIS BEAUTY, PLAYDATES WITH GOD, SMALL WONDER, MONDAYS AT SOUL SURVIVAL, MAKE A DIFFERENCE MONDAY, GOOD MORNING MONDAYS, ALL THINGS BRIGHT & BEAUTIFUL, TELL ME A TRUE STORY, SOLI DEO GLORIA, TITUS 2 TUESDAYS, TESTIMONY TUESDAY, A LITTLE 
R & R WEDNESDAYS, UNITE, WHOLEHEARTED WEDNESDAYS, CAPTURE YOUR JOURNEY, TEACHING WHAT IS GOOD, COFFEE & CONVERSATION, SO MUCH AT HOME, TELL HIS STORY, WORD FILLED WEDNESDAY, THREE WORD WEDNESDAY, COFFEE FOR YOUR HEART, WISE WOMAN, BELOVED BREW THURSDAYS, THOUGHT-PROVOKING THURSDAY, LITTLE THINGS THURSDAYS, EVERYDAY JESUS, HEARTS FOR HOME, SHINE, GRACE AT HOME, THOUGHTFUL THURSDAYS, LIGHT FRIDAY HIT LIST, MAKE MY SATURDAY SWEET, FRIENDSHIP FRIDAY, FELLOWSHIP FRIDAY, FELLOWSHIP FRIDAYS, FAITH FILLED FRIDAY, SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS, COUNTING MY BLESSINGS, A GROUP LOOK, STILL SATURDAY, WEEKEND BREW, SATURDAY SOIREE, RECOMMENDATION SATURDAY, GIVE ME GRACE, SUNDAY STILLNESS



BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

GOD IS IN THE DETAILS

I am a master of disguise.

There is not a flaw that has bested me yet.

If you're a perfectionist like me, you notice that just about everything has a flaw or two (or eighty).  Furniture, carpet, tile, cabinets, paint, clothing, collectibles, etc.

And flaws are my nemesis.

Armed with my arsenal of colored pencils, multi-colored Sharpie pens, various colors of wood putty, acrylic paint, a lead pencil, a black and a blue ballpoint pen – AND my *tools of the trade* – tweezers, scissors, glue, brushes, and two pairs of glasses – I am a Fixer Extraordinaire.

If something has a chip or a stain or a snag or a scratch – I am your woman.

Some of my best work has included:

The dented nose of a cigar store Indian – (paint, colored pencils, brush).

A ripped and unraveled patch of carpet – (glue, tweezers, scissors).

An area of missing stain on a cabinet – (wood putty, colored pencils, lead pencil).


Actually, you might enjoy this little story about my absolute finest moment.

Several years ago, the sons and Marty (the grandbeagle) were staying downstairs with my parents while they were renovating their upstairs apartment.  Marty, The Beagle Who Cannot Be Trusted, was watched like an eagle.

However, Marty is also The Beagle Who Is Very Sneaky.  And one night, while everyone was watching television, Marty was busy.  Oh, it looked like he was just lying down in his little pen in the middle of the living room.  (I know – I was there).  But no, he was actually gnawing and nibbling away at my parents' carpet.

Yes, call him The Stealth Chewer.

Fortunately, my dad went to bed before the damage was discovered.

But when we saw Marty's carpet work, we were shocked.  A decent-sized piece had been completely destroyed – right in the middle of the room!

Great, now what?

Well, I told the boys not to panic, we would figure it out.

So, step #1:  Look under all the furniture to see which carpet would be the best color match, roughly the same nap, and the least likely to be noticed missing.

Step #2:  Having determined that the best replacement candidate was underneath a very heavy coffee table, move said table.

Step #3:  Using boxcutters – (oh, I should have mentioned that in my above-cited arsenal) – remove patch of carpet.  Replace table.

Step #4:  Place new patch into old hole and glue down.  Evaluate.  Uh, not good.

Step #5:  Use various "tools" to work the edges into the surrounding nap. Push and pull and tamp down and pinch up.  Over and over again.  Not bad.

Except for the oh-so-obvious difference in the color.  Wow, carpet really, really darkens over time.  So, the three of us just stared at the carpet for the longest time.

(Mom was there too – but her *slightly-less-than-helpful* suggestions included putting a table or chair in the middle of the room or making sure that she was talking to Dad and pointing at the ceiling every time he entered).

What a dilemma.

Until Son #2 said this:

"You know how they use tea to make things look old?  I wonder if soda would work…"

Which is how Step #6 happened:  Pour cola on patch of carpet.  Soak up excess with paper towel.  Don't rinse and repeat.

I can't tell you how perfect the match was.  How much the new patch blended in with the darker surroundings.  How inspired this *fix* was.

How my dad never found out about it.

How Marty always seemed to prefer that particular area of the living room.

That old carpet has since been replaced – not because of our problem, mind you – and no one was the wiser.  Except, I've always wondered if the installers were puzzled by how easily that one area of the carpet came up, and why it was so sticky!  HA!


So, yes, flaws are my nemesis.

And that is why I found myself on my hands and knees in my parents' driveway a few days ago.

You see, the sons had a very important trade show to attend, and they needed to construct a booth for their company.  My dad has every tool you can imagine in his workshop, so the project happened at his house.

Wood, screws, saws, hammer, nails, paint – the finished product was a work of art. Finished in the nick of time, just before the sons left at 3 AM for a long trip to Phoenix.

Later that morning, I went out to inspect the clean-up effort.  Pretty good, but not up to the standards of my dad.

For one thing, there were black drips of paint on the garage floor and pink latex primer paint dripped all over the driveway.

Sigh.

So, I used a screwdriver to chip up the black paint.  That went pretty well. But the pink primer was another story altogether.

You might be wondering why I didn't use paint thinner or turpentine.

Well, my parents have kind of a special driveway.  Completely made up of little pebbles all cemented in.  And it's old.  So, besides the fact that there was no paint remover handy, I also didn't want to take the chance of wrecking the driveway with a harsh chemical.

That is why I labored with a screwdriver and a boxcutter to scrape and peel and strip up the pink primer paint.

Got most of it off.  

But good is not good enough for my dad's standards.

So, I proceeded to hand-pencil every single pebble that had any pink residue left over.  Fortunately, there were some black shiny pebbles, so I could use a Sharpie on them.  At first I noticed that the pencil (or Sharpie) ended up looking a little too shiny.  So, I perfected a technique of applying pencil or pen, and then rubbing with my finger.  Repeat to give a more natural finish.

I know.

Perfection.

It took me a few hours.

And so, I had plenty of time to ponder.


I got to thinking about God.  

About God and His very perfect world that He created.  About God and how His very perfect world got all messed up.

He had to have looked on in dismay at all the drips and dribbles of sin that had spilled on His perfection.

It had to make Him feel frustrated, knowing that He had clean-up work to do.

Frustrated, yes, but His love propelled Him to do it.

I felt frustrated that I had clean-up work to do.  It was disheartening to be left with the aftermath.  But I also knew that I was the only one who could do it.  And I did it because I love my boys.

God is the same.  

No, God is better…


As I belabored over every single paint-stained pebble, I thought of how God works in me.

He inspects me closely, and sees even the tiniest remnants of sin.

He takes His time, inordinate amounts of time, to fix my mistakes and work on my flaws.

He scrapes away my false hypocrisy, and peels away my layers of selfishness, and strips away the sins that so easily trip me up.

And, even then, He is not finished.

For good is not good enough for my Heavenly Father's standards.

So, He painstakingly pencils in the empty spots with His righteousness. He covers my stains with His blood.  He rubs my spirit with His finger, until I am made like new.

He works and toils and labors over me.

OVER. ME.

Because He loves me…

…and flaws are His nemesis.

But He has never met a flaw that has bested Him.  For He died on a Cross for every flaw that ever did or ever will happen.

He possesses the ultimate tools in His arsenal to fix the mistakes, to redeem the flaws, to restore the blemished, to fill up the cracks, and to make it all right again – to make it all RIGHT again.


I know.

Perfection.

I was reminded of that while on my knees on a pebbled driveway a few days ago.

And it brought tears to my eyes.

God weaves His perfection in me. 

"May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation--the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ--for this will bring much glory and praise to God." (Philippians 1:11, NLT)

"It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption." 
(1 Corinthians 1:30, NIV)

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV)

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20, NIV)

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come." (2 Corinthians 5:17, NASB)


What does God’s attention to detail mean to you?


Linked today with:

Joan at SHARING HIS BEAUTY
Michelle at HEAR IT ON SUNDAY, USE IT ON MONDAY
Hazel at TELL ME A TRUE STORY
Jen at UNITE
Darlene at TITUS 2SDAY
Tracy at WINSOME WEDNESDAY
Rachel at WHIMSICAL WEDNESDAYS
Shari at WORD FILLED WEDNESDAY
Gail at TGIF
Laura at FAITH FILLED FRIDAY
Mel at ESSENTIAL FRIDAYS
Wanda at THE FRIDAY FIVE
Charlotte at SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS
Patricia at STILL SATURDAY
Barbie at WEEKEND BREW
Janis at SUNDAY STILLNESS


BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

"FAN THE FLAME" FRIDAY - Refine (New Format!)

Welcome to "Fan the Flame" Friday.

This is a weekly post that will be "short and sweet" (kinda like me...)

Just a word and a question (or few)…just a little something to "fan the flame" of your creativity!

And, to further fan those faith-filled flames (try saying that 10 times in a row!) – I'm adding my favorite devotional from the week!


Today's word: refine

What does the word refine mean to you?

Why does God want to refine us?

What is God using in your life to refine you?


"'I will bring that group through the fire and make them pure.  I will refine them like silver and purify them like gold.'"  (Zechariah 13:9, NLT)


Let me know what you think!!              


DEVOTIONAL OF THE WEEK:

"What a chain of graces could overflow from tribulation.  It is in the furnace that faith is tested, patience is tried, and where all those rich virtues are developed that make up Christian character.  It is while they are passing through deep waters that God shows how close He can come to His praying, believing saints."


*Thank You for drawing close to us when we need You most.


"This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you…For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:6-7)


(Devotional: From "The Power of Prayer" by E. M. Bounds, c. 2007, Christian Art Gifts, RSA)


BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

"FAN THE FLAME" FRIDAY - Renew

Welcome to "Fan the Flame" Friday.

This is a weekly post that will be "short and sweet" (kinda like me...)

Just a word and a phrase, a sentence or a question...just a little something to "fan the flame" of your creativity!


Today's word: renew

What does the word renew mean to you?

Renew or change - do you think there's a difference?  If yes, please explain!

What is one thing you would like to have the Holy Spirit renew in your life?


Let me know what you think!!


"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."  (Psalm 51:10, ESV)


"This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you…For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:6-7)


BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

DOG HAIR

Yup, another Marty story.

I love my grandbeagle – he is such a delight.  Yes, a bit of a scamp – (especially when I show up!) – but just adorable.

One of my favorite things about Marty is he's very affectionate.  He loves his *people*.  You cannot move an inch without him opening his eyes and following you wherever you go, or getting up and following you wherever you go.  I can hear him saying, "Where you going?  Can I go, too?  When you gonna be back?  Are you getting food??"

The other thing I love about Marty is that he loves to cuddle.

He's rather particular about his cuddling though.  He's got rules:

1. If he comes to sit by you on the recliner, and he wants to sit next to you, it has to be on your LEFT side.  No exceptions.

2. If he decides that he wants to sit between your legs, you better move to accommodate him.  He will not accept sitting NEXT to your legs – it must be in between.

3. If he comes to sit next to you on the recliner and you don't move into the proper position, he will stare you down.

4. If he comes to sit next to you on the couch, he will always throw one of his arms across your legs or your arm or your lap.  (Picture someone sidling up to a bar)

5. This arm-throwing maneuver is also used on the recliner when using the in-between-the-legs position, or if he cuddles up particularly closely to your face…on the left side.

6. Sometimes the cuddling involves what we call *tenting* – Marty often loves to get UNDER blankets or cushions when he curls up next to you.

7. If you do not "help" in this tenting behavior, Marty will use a very insistent (and very cold) nose to prod his way into getting the proper assistance.

8. If you choose to sleep with Marty – all bets are off.  You may find some variation of these *positions* during the night:

- a dog draped across your legs (or stomach or chest)
- a dog face up by your head, only to be replaced at some point during the
             night by a dog's…ahem…"other end" in your face
- a dog flat on his back
- a dog pushing into you like a sausage (with arms and legs) looking for
            more room
- a *tented* lump somewhere in your vicinity


Ah yes, the joys of cuddling with Marty.

But, there's also one particular hazard involved when you choose to cuddle with a beagle…

DOG HAIR.

It's interesting.  I figured a short-haired dog wouldn't shed that much.  HA! Evidently, beagles are known for shedding.

"And lastly, beagles shed a lot. This is how all short-haired dogs maintain their coat length. If you have allergies or consider yourself a "neat freak", beware!"

Who knew??

One of the things I do when I go visit my son is sweep up the hair from the wooden floors in his apartment.  I often joke that we could make another dog out of what I collect.  And also, this strikes me as weird – though Marty is black, and brown, and white – the pile of hair always has this non-descript grayish color to it.  Odd.

Oh, another odd thing.  Some of Marty's hair actually is two-tone.  One hair can have black, and then white, and then black again.  Or it's a mix of brown and white.  I'm fascinated by the DNA that's responsible for this *checkered* look!

But I digress.

So, a trip to Marty's house always involves some *follicle-shed shrapnel* when I get home:

- A layer of gray, non-descript hair plastered to the bottom of my socks
- Hair in my hair
- Hair that shows up in unexpected, and sometimes unexplainable places
          (like clothing underneath my clothing, if you get what I mean)
- Hair on my shoes, which I always leave outside the front door – a mystery
- Hair that appears magically on clothes I have not worn while visiting Marty –
          (this is properly called "transfer hair" – because it transfers
          from Marty to clothes to car seat to new outfit)


Most often Marty's hair removal is only a minor inconvenience.

Sometimes it involves war.

Like the time that I mistakenly took a warm, fleece blanket down to visit. Turns out that fleece is not good material for *tenting* purposes.  The hair doesn't end up laying on the surface – it gets embedded in the very fiber of the blanket!

"The Hub" was very helpful.  We shook the blanket, and smacked it against the house.  We tried using a brush.  We tried using those sticky remover gizmos.  We tried a hair dryer.  We tried using a Dustbuster.

Helpful, but not completely successful.

You know what "The Hub" finally used?  Our Power-Vac!  Yup, sucked those little things right up.

But evidently not all of them.

Even after washing, Marty's legacy lives on.  Right this very second, as I type this post, I am using this blanket.  And, I see random Marty hairs on the sweatshirt that I am wearing – ("transfer hair").

Wanna know a secret?

Those little hairs make me smile.  Somehow they make me feel closer to my little cuddler down the hill.

So, where's the God lesson?

Well, it's about all those things that are just *me* – the things that no matter how much I try, I just can't seem to get rid of.

My worry-wart nature.  My oversensitivity.  My ability to make mountains out of molehills.  My negative bent.  My propensity to getting depressed.  My tendency to ask people a million questions (needling, nagging?) – (it's true, ask "The Hub").  My need to be overly-involved in everything – (it's true, ask my sons).  My perfectionism – (OK, I'm still calling it my "eye for detail").

This list could go on and on, but then I'd self-implode with shame…

Yup, these things seem to be imbedded in the very fiber of my being.

I have tried to get rid of these things in many ways.  Sweeping them away, shaking them out, dust-busting them.

They just keep coming back – or, more accurately, they just never really go completely away in the first place.

Sometimes these things are only a minor inconvenience.

Sometimes they involve war.

This is where I cannot fight alone.  My paltry power is no match for the sin-filled nature that still lurks within me.  I need help.

Power-Vac help…

That is why I am so very grateful for the gift of the Holy Spirit.  The miracle of the indwelling is amazing.  Every moment of every day, I am empowered to withstand temptation, endure trials, persevere through testing – I am empowered to be something I'm not…

Something better.

Someone better.

Because of the Someone who lives within me.

You know, I don't think it's an accident that I am curled up in this particular fleece blanket as I write this post.

You see, it's red and white.

Kinda like me.

Red for the blood of Jesus washed over me.  White for the righteousness that He has imparted to me.

Sure, there's some dog hairs still embedded – just like my embedded *stuff* still lingers…

But this blanket is clean…

…and so am I!

I'm sorry - Dog Hair Happens 

How does the Holy Spirit help you with the "dog hair" in your life?

Linked today with:

Joan at SHARING HIS BEAUTY

Michelle at HEAR IT ON SUNDAY, USE IT ON MONDAY

Tracy at WINSOME WEDNESDAY
Pamela at A SHELTERING TREE
Charlotte at SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS


BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

A BEAGLE'S *BANDANNA* BANNER DAY

So, the other day it was Spa Day for Marty.

Truth be told, there isn't too much spa treatment involved.

A beagle does not need to be groomed, trimmed, or styled.

He just needs to be cleaned.

But, we like to call it Spa Day because…well, because it makes Marty feel special.

Many dogs – (most dogs??) – are terrified of the vet.  The dog that I grew up with, Bo, a dachshund, started shaking the minute he got into the car.

Not Marty.

He LOVES the vet.

Which is surprising to me, considering the experiences he's had there.  When he was just two months old, before he was ours, he spent about 10 days there battling the deadly Parvo disease.  That involved all sorts of *sick*, and lots of needles and IV treatments.  Then, shortly after that, he was back for treatment for parasites.

Then, of course, there was that whole neutering escapade.

You'd think that THAT would have made him never want to go to the vet's office again…not EVER.  But no, not so.  Marty still loves going to the vet's because…

…well, because he's Marty.

One of the friendliest, sweetest, most gregarious animals I have ever known in my life.

Marty is a people person.

And the vet's office has lots of people – lots of people that know and love him.

It's pretty funny.  I've had to take him to Spa Day a few times myself.  The vet's office is about 10 minutes away from where my son lives.  At first, Marty is just pretty excited about going on a car ride.

But as we begin to approach the parking lot for the vet's office, Marty becomes more and more concentrated on our surroundings.  He often sits up in the passenger seat.  And, as soon as I get into the left-hand turn lane, he KNOWS where we are.

And he can hardly contain himself.

The moment I put my car into "park," that dog is beside himself with glee.  (Maybe it's more accurate to say he's beside ME with glee…like in my lap).

Once inside, he pulls on his leash, he jumps up to say hello, he sniffs and chuffles every square inch of the waiting room.  Occasionally, though we have thoughtfully pre-peed him in the bushes outside, he does a little *marking* on the desk or floor.

Hey, he's a dog, and it's always fun to let other dogs know you've...ahem...
"been there."

Right?!

With barely a nod to my presence, scarcely a sniff good-bye, Marty is off. Around the corner – see ya later!

So, after a long day, the time comes to go pick him up.

I love this part.

I pay the bill, and they go get him.  I can hear him coming long before I see him.  No, he isn't barking or anything – remember, Marty is a "silent" beagle.  He's only barked like 10 times in his life…

But, I can hear his newly-trimmed toenails (and fingernails) clicking on the tiles.  And then, the best moment of all, Marty appears around the corner.

He rushes over to greet me.

Marty might not be too good at good-bye, but he's a superstar champ at HELLO!

Boy, does he smell good.  And his little beagle hair is all fluffy.  Well, perhaps fuzzy is a better way to describe it.

But the best thing of all?

Marty is wearing a bandanna.

Sometime last year, the vet's office started giving their dogs bandannas after their baths (this last Spa Day, Marty's was red).  I think it's an adorable idea.

I'm sure that Marty knows he's got that thing on.  And he's proud of it.  He has a certain bounce in his step, a certain joy in his trot that he didn't have when he first came in.

Yup, Marty knows he's special – and he knows he's clean.

I'm thinking about this tonight.

Marty teaches me a great many things about God, and this is no exception.

What does it feel like to be clean?

I think sometimes I take for granted the great work, the impossible work that Jesus did for me on the cross.  He took every single filthy thing I've ever done, or that I ever will do, and He crucified it.  He washed it clean.

The dirt and grime and stain of sin – the blot that I could not remove – He bore it all.

And washed me clean.

Honestly, I think that should change how I live – every single day.  It should give me a certain bounce in my step, a certain joy in my trot.

It should make me feel beside myself – I should be barely able to contain my glee.

I know I. AM. CLEAN.

Once and for all clean.  Eternally clean.  Deep down where it counts clean.  


You know, maybe today I'll wear my red bandanna – and I'll wear it proud.

Because yes, indeed, I am special to the Master of the Universe!



"Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin." (Psalm 51:2, NLT)

"For on this day shall atonement be made for you to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the LORD from all your sins."  (Leviticus 16:30, ESV)

"Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow." (Psalm 51:7, NIV)

"I will cleanse them of their sins against me and forgive all their sins of rebellion." (Jeremiah 33:8, NLT)

"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses..." (Ezekiel 36:25, ESV)

"When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, 'Lord, are you going to wash my feet?'  Jesus replied, 'You don't understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.'  'No,' Peter protested, 'you will never ever wash my feet!'  Jesus replied, 'Unless I wash you, you won't belong to me.' Simon Peter exclaimed, 'Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!'" (John 13:6-9, NLT)

Are We There Yet??? 

I Am Special 

What does it feel like to you to be *deep-down Jesus* clean?

Linked today with:

Joan at SHARING HIS BEAUTY

Michelle at HEAR IT ON SUNDAY, USE IT ON MONDAY

Tracy at WINSOME WEDNESDAY
Pamela at A SHELTERING TREE
Bonnie at  FAITH BARISTA
Charlotte at SPIRITUAL SUNDAYS


BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

FLAWED

Ooooo…

How I hate that word.

A little background.

When "The Hub" and I moved up to our new mountain home, it wasn't quite new.  It definitely needed a little TLC.  The house had stood empty for almost two years.  Notice I said empty – not unoccupied.  Nope, the three little mice – and about a thousand of their closest personal friends – had had quite a heyday on the property.

We found *remnants* of their occupation all over.

I learned three things about mice:

1.  They are not particular about their bathroom habits.
2.  They like to chew and scratch and gnaw.
3.  They leave their mummified carcasses in the most disturbing places.

We had quite a time convincing them that the house was too small for them and us.  We insisted, they complied.

Oh, I also learned that moths enjoy an empty house, too.  And they lose their wings and body parts faster than I am losing brain cells.  I just want to know how they got in???

But I digress.

When we moved in, there was definitely work to be done.  New carpet, new paint, new tile, and a new kitchen.

We had done some remodeling on our *older* home down the hill – just to help the resale value of a 36-year old tract home.  But, whenever something wasn't perfect, I was able to let it go – knowing that this wasn’t the "final place."

Not so up here.

Every change we make is permanent.  This is THE house we're going to live in.  So, the changes loom a little (a lot) more serious.

Well, let me just say this – though we have had very, very good craftsmen doing the work on our house, there are mistakes.

The work is flawed.

I find that I go into "Incessant Inspector" mode rather quickly…and easily.

"The Hub" says I'm negative.

I say I'm particular, with an eye for detail.

So, as I've made my rounds, checking out the finished product, I've asked myself these questions:

Why can't painters make a clean line on baseboard?  Or ceilings?  Or corners?

Why would you put the same tile so close to one just like it?  How hard would it be to spin it to make it look like a different tile with a different design?

Why put so many plain tiles, or patterned tiles, so close together?  Can't you mix it up?

Why do carpets have to have weird little bumps in them?

Why can't cabinets "take the stain" in an even pattern?

Don't get me wrong, the finished work is really good.  And I have had some input throughout the ongoing process.  However, one cannot stand over a contractor and tell him how to do his work every step of the way.  (I'd love to – but "The Hub" did not allow me to do so…)

"The Hub" tries to be helpful with these endearing sentiments:

"At least it's done."

"It looks good to me."

“You can't do anything about it now."

"You want to do it yourself?"  (Though he's being facetious, the thought has crossed my mind).

Here's the rub – we're not done yet.

So I have visions of mismatched granite, appliances that won't fit into their respective spaces, chipped sinks, leaky faucets, etc.

Grrr…

Now, I admit to being a perfectionist…(particular, eye for detail).

But still.

It really, really bugs me.

Do you know that I've actually *corrected* a few tile flaws with colored pencil???

Yes I have – reminiscent of my cigar store Indian escapade (here).

Flawed.

The word just keeps ruminating in my mind.

Dictionary definition:  Blemished, damaged, or imperfect in some way. Containing a mistake, weakness, or fault.

Sharon's Acrostic Dictionary definition:

F aulty
L acking
A wry
W rong
E rrant
D efective

Flawed.

Yup, how I hate that word.

But, the other night I got to thinking.  (It was all I could do as I lay sleepless, pondering the mismatched tile…)

I don't think I'm alone in my quest for perfection.  Nor in my sorrow when it doesn't happen.

I wonder about God.  I wonder how He feels.  Here He created this perfect world, these perfect creatures, these perfect humans.  It was all good…

Actually better than good – it was flawless.

I wonder how He felt when we messed it all up.

I can only imagine how His heart broke when we ruined His work.  When He watched us make mistakes.  When we painted outside of the lines.  When we messed up the pattern.  When the smooth path of obedience got bumpy.  When our hearts became stained with sin.

I think He mourned…deeply.

God, the Ultimate Perfectionist, the Flawless Potter, looked at His sin-filled lumps of clay…and cried.

I'm convinced of it.

He understands the dismay, the discouragement of imperfection.

How could He bear it?

The Holy One feeling the pain of unholiness invade His work…

I began to see how foolish it was for me to be so focused on temporal imperfections.  There are bigger things at stake here.

And then I thought of something else…

There is someone who comes before the throne of God every day and points to me and shouts his accusation:

"FLAWED!"

Oh, Lord.

Though You have every right to look at me and called me flawed, You do not. You did something miraculous to make me perfect in Your sight.

You sent Your Son.

And because of Him, I am no longer defined by my imperfections.

Evidently God has an acrostic dictionary, too.  And He defines flawed this way:

F ully
L oved
A nd
W orthwhile…
E ternally
D elightful

(I like His definitions better than mine, by the way…)


Lord, thank You for the lessons I am learning in patience and acceptance. Thank You for teaching me that only You are holy and complete.  Thank You for the gracious gift of Your righteousness, so that even though I am flawed, You see me as perfect.  Thank You that the enemy does not define me.  Thank You that the Story wasn't ruined in Eden – it just took a plot twist.  Thank You that even then, before the beginning of the world, You had a perfect plan – a plan for restoration.  Thank You for the promise of hope – that one day all will be perfect again – for we will live in Your light, and gaze on Your face.


"For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago." (Ephesians 2:10)


How do you think God looks at you?


BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"

FOLLOW THE BOUNCING...check

Yup, my feet are not made of clay - they are made of rubber.

I bounced a check last week.

A substantial amount.  A tidy sum.  A big one.  

The down payment on our new cabinets for the new house.

I had a total *spaz* moment.  (I would call it a "senior moment" but that implies that the mistake had something to do with age.  Nope.  This one was just plain stupid…)

You see, Mr. Cabinet Guy deposited the check the same afternoon that I handed it to him.  (As if he didn't have the total right to do that – HA!)

And I forgot to transfer the money to cover it.

Funny thing is – (not ha ha funny, by the way) – is that I didn't even realize it until the next morning when I went to check my emails.  I had something called a LOW THRESHOLD ALERT on my account.

Foreboding.

I have added this little gizmo to my online banking so if I go below a certain amount in my checking account, it alerts me.  ("Hey, silly pants, you need to transfer some funds!")  Works great for those incidental *forget-me-not* moments.

In this case, as I read on in the email, I found out that I was several HUNDRED dollars overdrawn.  At first, I didn't even remember writing the checks the day before – I initially thought that someone had invaded our account and chocked up a whole bunch of goodies at our expense…

Then I remembered – oh no, the cabinet guy.

So, I quickly made an online transfer to cover the check.

Hoping I might have circumvented the whole stupid process of having the check returned.

No such luck.

At one point I thought I might be OK.  A friendly customer service representative told me that though the check had been returned, it would be put through my account again that morning – and of course, it would be OK now.

Totally wrong information.

The check has been returned, and I have been assessed a rather LARGE returned check fee. (Does it even matter that I've been a loyal customer for 37 years???)

The old days are gone – there is no more *grace period* at the bank.

It got me thinking.

I'm a little used to being able to have some breathing room with bills and stuff.  They might send out a (little) threatening "notice of cancellation" letter here and there, but they're just warning shots really.  On most things, you've got some time past your due date to pay.

Banking – no longer do they give you that "second pass" to make it all right.

Got me thinking – (what doesn't these days??) – no grace period.

You know, WITHOUT JESUS, that's kinda the whole situation.  WITHOUT JESUS, we are totally under judgment.  All fallen short – no second chances.  

With Jesus, there is…

GRACE. PERIOD.

No fees, no penalty.

We come with nothing but our repentant hearts – and Jesus removes every sin counted against us, now and forever.

The overdrafts, the insufficient funds, the cancelled or lost checks, the stolen debit cards – it's all gone when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior.

Aren't we so very privileged and fortunate to live on this side of the cross?! Aren't we beyond blessed to live in the grace period?!

I don't know about you, but I happen to like the way Jesus does banking!


And the customer service is wonderful!!


Have you ever bounced a check?  
(C'mon, I want some truth-tellers out there)

What does the grace of God through Jesus mean to you today?


Linked today with Joan at SHARING HIS BEAUTY


BLOG = "Blessedly Leaning On God!"