Except for grocery and drugstore runs, I've been "holed up" in our house for about 10 months now. My world has been about the house, the garden (which is not thriving as I expected), my mom, video calls, social media, TV, and my dogs, Powder and Alpha. Inspiration sometimes comes from these frisky creatures as you will see below.
A hose
I've not really paid much attention to it but Powder has a unique way of drinking water. While Alpha waits for me to finish filling the bowl and will only start drinking when I'm done, Powder always rushes to where I'm pouring water and drinks right where it falls. She'd also rather drink from an open hose than from a freshly filled bowl.
This dog's got it right, I thought. Why go for a secondary source of water? Just go straight to the original source!
Most of us tend to go for secondary sources of refreshment than straight to its origin.
I know that the pandemic restrictions have not been easy for everyone. Some have developed coping mechanisms and found relief in different ways and from different sources: food, sleep, video games, social media, TV, movies, books, outdoors, friends, family, exercise, developing a new skill, etc.
They give us some sense of calmness and release but those can be fleeting or limited in scope. When we go straight to the Origin of peace and rest however, the result is long lasting and all-encompassing.
If you haven't yet, go to your room or any quiet place, close the door, and lay it all before God. Talk, cry, argue, complain, plead, get angry - you're in good company. Believers throughout the ages have gone through periods of letting it out before God. Check out the book of Psalms and you'll find many psalms of desperation, complaint, asking God to enact justice on enemies, etc. When you've finished and quieted down, let God answer you. It's His turn.
Open your heart and let Him speak to your need so that His love will release healing into your very core. Most of the time, we'll find that being still before Him is all we need to be "recreated" completely.
A wound
We caught Powder's wound before it became absolutely worse. It was deep that she had to go through a series of antibiotics, supplements, and regular wound cleaning for two weeks. She was a little resistant the first few times I cleaned it, but later she started raising her leg allowing me to clean it well and put ointment.
In some ways, we respond to "wound cleaning" like Powder.
We nurse a hurt, disappointment, fear, jealousy, anger, or hatred carefully hiding it without realizing that we are wounding ourselves deeply.
We hold onto it tightly not wanting to let go but the Holy Spirit ever so gently speaks to us to allow God to heal our wounds.
With Powder's wound, I had to squeeze the puss out which was painful because she would recoil each time I'd do that. It had to be done because it was the only way to get the infection out. In order for us to be completely healed, each and every issue related to our hurts will need to be addressed and that can be painful. When we let God deal with the issues, we're allowing Him to apply healing to the root of our pain.
A whimper
Since arriving a few days ago, our neighbor's new puppy started whimpering which then graduated to barking, sounding so desperate left alone outside on a rainy evening. Its voice has grown hoarse as it howled loudly the next day when its humans left the house for a few hours.
They're trying to make it get used to staying outdoors but, oh boy, the poor puppy is not having it. Just when I think it calmed itself down, the puppy starts to bark and whimper again. It's a pitiful situation.
The puppy's plight reminds me of a study on orphans I read recently. Growing up in an orphanage without proper guidance and deprived of affection by caregivers can stunt brain development which leads to mental and emotional problems.
When orphans finally leave the institution, they are maladjusted individuals who have a difficult time living in the outside world especially when placed with a family. They can become destructive towards themselves and to others particularly when shown love and affection because they are not used to it.
Fortunately, the brain is able "to rewire itself and compensate for things that go wrong during development, including some problems caused by neglect."
Each of us has our own share of hardships, difficulties, and rejection which may later reflect as some form of orphanism with regard to our reactions and responses to situations.
Trust can be replaced with doubt and suspicion. Forgiveness can be ignored and be replaced by spite or vengeance. Generosity is withheld as miserliness takes over. Instead of responding in love, we may act in fear and self-preservation. Then again, we may be at a loss when we are dealt with love, forgiveness, trust, generosity, and kindness.
A sense of orphanism remains with us until we encounter the unconditional love of our Father, our Creator who knows us inside out. We are His sons and daughters after all. When we let Him "rewire" us, He will touch every part of our brain, heart, and soul healing us completely so we can have the abundant life that His Son Jesus talks about in the Bible.
I can still hear our neighbor's puppy whimpering. I hope my neighbors show it some affection so it'll quiet down. As for us, we don't need to wait in futility for our Father to give us some compassion. We only need to open our heart and allow Him to shower us with His love.
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