Shivering Dog

As I sat at my desk this afternoon, the storm increased in power. Thunder was crashing, lightning was flashing and poor Leica was shivering. I reached out to her and she practically leaped across a few feet into my arms. I gathered her up and wrapped a blanket around her and held her while she shivered in terror. She had no idea what the crashing and banging was all about, but she knew it frightened her. Max came home from work in the middle of it and when he walked into the room, she started whining. The poor girl was so glad to see him, you could sense that she wanted both of us to comfort her.

I'm training my cat, Ichabod. When I lie down on the couch, he generally lies on my chest and gets close to my face. If I don't pay attention to him, he'll take one paw and gently brush my cheek. It's kind of cute. So, I've decided that since I like it when he does that, I'm not going to touch him until he puts his paw on my face. He touches me, I pet him. He pulls his paw back, I stop. He is learning to leave his paw there so that I will love him and stroke him. It's adorable.

My animals do a pretty good job of explaining our relationship with God. When I'm afraid I leap into God's arms. I have no idea what all of the crashing and banging is about, but I know that it frightens me. I need to be comforted by something bigger than me, someone who understands what the big picture is and isn't afraid of it. I know that a thunderstorm isn't going to hurt us, it's just a lot of loud noise that will pass in a short time. God knows that the things I am afraid of won't hurt me in the long run. It's generally just a lot of loud noise that will pass in a short time. So, He can comfort me and assure me when I'm shivering in fear.

Psalm 27 is awesome:

The Lord is my light and my salvation - whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life - of whom shall I be afraid? (vs. 1)

One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek,
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and seek him in his temple.
For in the days of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock. (vs. 4-5)

As for Ichabod? I like thinking about God playing games with me. Waiting for me to reach out and touch Him so that He can caress me. He doesn't hold back for any reason other than to engage in the game with me. We're having fun, we're enjoying each other. We laugh for awhile at the game and then when it's over ... I can rest in His arms ... where I'm safe.

It's a great place to be. I like the peace and safety.