Tag: Forsake

Puppies Are Work! Are We?

This house just seemed a little quieter and a little sadder with Maggie gone.  So I did what any sad mom would do.  I hopped on the interwebs and took a peek around to see if maybe I would ever like to have another dog.  Because the answer is no.  Unequivocally, absolutely, positively no more dogs.  Until I saw a puppy online on December 22, contacted the owner, and then drove three hours the next day to pick her up! 

She’s sweet and funny and has so much personality!  The best part of the entire process was surprising Peyton with her when she got home from work that night.  This little pup has stolen our hearts.  Ruger, our seven-year-old lab even likes her!

But let me tell you…having a puppy is work (which is why I didn’t want one in the first place).  The amount of energy, time and effort that goes into working with an animal is exhausting!  You think you make a bit of progress until, oops, here’s a puddle on the floor.  “No chewing” turns into new slippers being purchased because you left them in front of the couch.  Work, I tell you, work. 

I wouldn’t change anything!  We love her and we know she’s worth the energy and focus.  She’s part of the family, and we’ll do whatever is necessary to make sure she is loved and cared for.   No matter what she does, we’ll never turn her away because she belongs to us.

This reminds me, honestly, of how God loves us.  When we accept the Lord as our Savior, we are His.  He bought and paid for us with Jesus’ shed blood.   No matter how much we mess up, He doesn’t walk away.  He doesn’t get fed up with our antics and cast us aside.  He patiently and lovingly teaches us and trains us.  Even when we’re more spiritually mature or “grown”, when we make a mistake, He doesn’t assume we’ll never be any good to Him.  On the contrary, He gave us the Holy Spirit to admonish, direct and guide us back to what is good and pleasing to the Lord.

“For He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you,” –Hebrews 13:5b

And Romans 8:35, 38-39 clearly tells us that nothing will separate us from God.  This means no matter how much work is needed or how many dumb mistakes I make, as a child of God I will never be separated from Him.  He won’t give up on us!

“Who will separate us from the love of Christ?  Will tribulation, or trouble, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?…For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

PRAISE GOD!

Just like that puppy, even though we are work, there’s no chance God turns His back on us and says “nevermind.”

I pray that we are challenged this week to see where we are rough around the edges.  Let’s work on those commands and precepts that we read in the Bible given by God!  He will never give up on us.  Let’s put in the work!

~Erin

Meet Winchester (‘Winnie”)

Puppy Abandonment

I had a messy-train-wreck-weepy-meltdown a few Saturdays ago.  My husband looked bewildered as we stood in the kitchen during the sob-fest before he gathered me in his arms for a big hug.

Why was I having a nuclear melt-down?

I had just dropped our 9-month-old Lab at the veterinarian to board him for 3 days while we went to the beach.  This emotional avalanche took me by surprise!  Previously I would have identified myself as an animal lover, who takes great care of my pets, but isn’t so attached that I would be boo-hooing over leaving my puppy to be boarded for a couple days.  

I kept thinking about how scared he would be without us. Was he wondering where we were? Did he hate hearing the other dogs barking? Was he being fed enough? Did he get to play enough or was he bored?  

The worst thought?  Did he think we were coming back or did he feel abandoned?

Thinking about how overwhelmed I felt about leaving him, I started thinking about how God never abandons us…even if it feels like it. God’s Word promises that he will not leave us or abandon us.  Ever.  

In Hebrews 13:5 (NASB), we are reminded “…for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you.”

There it is.  Right in His own words.  “I will never desert you” and “nor will I forsake you.”  What an amazing promise! 


That promise is repeated several times in both the Old Testament and New Testament.  We can look at Deuteronomy or 2 Corinthians for other examples.  

“For the Lord your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.” ~Deuteronomy 4:31 (NASB)

“…persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…”~2 Corinthians 4:9 (NASB)

There are countless times in one’s life that they could feel that God is not there.  And yet, He is there. We know God keeps his word and we know that He promises to not forsake us, so we can make the leap to know He won’t leave.  

I can’t begin to know if my puppy felt alone and abandoned, even though I was emotional about the thought.  What I can begin to know is that even in my darkest hour of feeling abandoned, my God is there.  

He never left.

~Emily

The Car Saga Contiues

We’re into week 2 of my car saga, and I’m not sure I see an end in sight.  While it took a bit for the adjuster to go and see the vehicle, once there, a vast difference appeared between the two companies in the ideas of how to repair my sweet car along with the cost of said repairs.  Alas, still no car.

I was starting to feel a little frustrated.  While having a car is assuredly a first world problem, I’ve been irritated about being at home without a vehicle in the event I wanted something…like an ice cold fountain Coke (that I don’t really need).   This has felt slightly overwhelming at my lack of control or answers to the problem.

This entire process has flown right in the face of what I’m studying.  We’re clearly told in the bible to trust God for everything.  Why is it so hard to let go of that control and hear what He’s saying?  Psalm 9:10 says, “Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You.”

That verse doesn’t say He’ll give me a quick answer.  It doesn’t even say He’ll give the answer I want.  What it does tell me that no matter how out of control I feel and no matter how long this process will take, He won’t forsake me.  Forsake means to abandon, and that’s one thing God never does.  He doesn’t just leave me to handle it on my own.  When I seek Him and when I trust, He is right there with me walking with me every step of the way.

I have no idea when I’ll get my car back.  But no matter the length of time or how frustrating the outcome, I can be assured that my situation and I are not forsaken.  He is right there holding my hand as we navigate this water together.

Iron Porch, have any of you been in a situation where you had to remind yourself that God was standing with you and walking beside you during a tough spot?  Let us know in the comments below.

~Erin