Faithfulness...

Certain things around our house are pretty predictable. One of those things happens every time we finish our evening meal around the kitchen table. As soon as I put down my fork... ...I feel a soft tap on my leg. It's Gretchen, wanting to get on my lap. Of course, you think, she's begging for food. But you see, Gretchen knows that when the meal ends, we read the Bible together, and there will be conversation... ...and somewhere along the line, she got the idea that she needs to be a part of that. (Of course, she's not offended if we give her a taste of something) But the moment I put her on my lap, she goes limp and relaxed and sometimes even starts to doze off in the crook of my arm.  

 You would think that in the presence of all of those smells of the tasty remnants of the meal before her, she would be utterly overwhelmed by her instinct to devour everything on the table. But she is perfectly content just to sit on the lap of the one she loves more than anything else in the world. That makes me feel pretty special.  :-) It also makes me think that there's a spiritual truth there somewhere... Gretchen is an animal--a "brute beast".  She is a creature of instinct, and the only way she learns what is expected of her in the human realm is routine and discipline.  Let me tell you, there's nothing much in this world that pleases her more than a juicy piece of meat.  Yet her love for me drives her to completely overlook the enticing pleasures in front of her. That's faithfulness... Can I say the same for me? How much do I long to be in the presence of the One I adore? Do the best things this world has to offer fade from view when I'm resting in His arms?  I hope so.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to tap on His leg and crawl into His arms tonight?