Sad to Glad
Bentley’s disconsolate eyes stayed fixed on the window. His body sagged over the arm of the chair as a discouraged “oompf” eased out of his mouth. He allowed me to distract him with games for a few minutes, then drug himself back to his vigil. We followed this pattern for hours. A brief joyful playtime would come crashing down as he realized “his guy” had not returned.
Poor Bentley. I reassured him over and over he had not been deserted. His boy would return. I told him “I’m here to keep you company. I’m not going to leave you. The whole reason I here is to take care of you.” But, he didn’t understand because Bentley is my granddog. We were having a slumber party, while “his boy” and the rest of “his guys,” were off overnight on a family Christmas adventure.
Since Bentley didn’t know what was happening, he refused comfort at first. He kept vigil until well after dark when I turned off the lights for bedtime. Only then did he curl up with me to go to sleep. His alert muscles relaxed until he work up in the morning.
The next morning, he perked up a little and eased into accepting comfort, loving the walk we took and engaging in games. Rather than perch at the window, he now snuggled on the couch next to me, or on my lap when I worked at the desk. He still checked the window occasionally. Then when he least expected it, he spotted a familiar car pulling into the driveway. His muscles tensed and his little mouth whispered a whine. He pounced the moment the door opened.
Thankfully he’s little or he would have bowled his boy over. His mouth grinned as only a happy dog can grin. After that he didn’t know who to greet next, so he just ran circles around all four of the family, slowing down only slightly to be petted. Finally, he worked off enough adrenaline to allow each one to pick him up and love on him.
Bentley reminds me of us when something rocks our world. We don’t understand what is happening, and often our first response is extreme sadness and depression. We are unable to receive comfort even from those close to us.
We often don’t even receive comfort from Jesus, who is right there with us holding out his arms to us, reassuring us that He won’t leave. He is there to care for us, to give us strength and wisdom.
Finally, we reach out and seek the comfort Jesus offered all along.. We snuggle into Him as He sits next to us. We begin to believe He will take care of us. We engage in life again. We engage with Him again.
Then, one day we realize with joy that the crisis is over and we made it through to the other side. Our journey can seem long or short depending on how soon we turn our eyes to heaven.
We all have situations that rock our world. I pray you turn quickly to trust in the one who holds our future.
BOOK UPDATE: Just a reminder that Beach Beatitudes is available on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com and Credohousepublishers.com. Local friends can get a book from me in person.
