Puppy Lessons

It is week two, I think wearily to myself, only week two!  Our puppy, Piper, has made our hearts her home, however, I find myself increasingly less and less prepared for the arrival of her needs.  She is a baby, I keep telling myself, remember those days?! 

Here are a few things Piper has taught me this week:

1.  I am not nearly as prepared as I thought I was!  Granted, I had all the puppy gear, but I am    more vulnerable in the area of patience at this point.  My perception of myself has been          much higher than my situation is revealing. Ouch!
2.  No matter how much organizational armor I put on, Piper is slowly chipping away at each        resource.  It has become evident I do not have enough "margin" planned or scheduled in            my daily routine for the unexpected. The hilarious part of this is I am scheduled to teach an organizational workshop in the spring. Now that is hilarious!
3. The value of each hour is important,  especially when on is removed due to the unexpected.  I need to make the most of each hour and what I have planned for that particular hour.
4. I have forsaken my notebook.  What notebook you ask?  My response. . . THE notebook.  Essentially, it is my brain on paper, keeper of every carefully crafted list,  and the Yoda to my Skywalker!  Seriously, this notebook is my daily organizational guide and in conjunction with the timer on my iPhone, keeps my sanity in check.

I could go on; instead, here are the spiritual parallels to the above points:

1.     No matter what preparations I make in life, there will be situations that I did not expect.   There will undoubtedly be someone who disappoints me or does not follow through on his or her word.  My response must be loving and gracious.  God is indeed working on my weakest area, which is mercy.

2.     There will be times when the organizational pieces I implement to survive my life, have to be put aside to make space for the spontaneity of the Holy Spirit.  Unless, I budget time in my schedule and allow Him to move, I will miss His arrival, as the Pharisees did when the donkey brought Jesus to town.  I need to practice making room in my “to do” list for Him and to open my eyes to His hand when He moves.

3.     This point mirrors point number two.  My time is valuable.  God has given to me 24 hours in each day to do something for Him.  Once again, I need to shift my focus from what is happening directly in front of me to how it can bring honor and glory to Him and the role I am to play in that. 

4.     Many times I begin my day with my notebook rather than the book of notes that God has given to me.  When I start with the Word, my day takes on a different shape.  The interruptions and annoyances of life are still there, yet my attitude towards them is different because I am seeing them through the lens of Christ. 

This is where I stop for today because my iPhone has alerted me that my writing time is finished!