Will They Be Cared For?

Our lives have been filled with the most precious baby animals in the last few months.  Our dog Stella had 7 puppies on July 22 and then 3 weeks later a mama cat found her way into our guards house and had 3 kittens.  The cat family quickly moved to our back doorstep and the puppies to the front doorstep.  It was all quite peaceful until the puppies started coming into the house with their muddy feet and sneaking shoes and making them chew toys.  The kittens were found inside the box spring of our bed and the mama at home in our living room! They eat a lot and are everywhere!  It was time to find new homes.

This wasn't as easy as I thought.  It was easy to find people willing to take the babies but would they provide good homes, good enough?  There was no way we could keep 10 new little critters but I found myself worrying that no one could care for them well enough.

I have been thinking a lot about Jesus and his time here on earth.  How did God feel as he let him go?  Was there anyone good enough for him?  Anyone that would care for him the way that his father had?  No.  As a new baby is born, is there anyone that can care for them well enough?  What is God thinking as each new baby is born? How does he let them go into a world that will hurt and betray?

God is always hoping for us.  He desires that each of us turn our hearts quickly to Him so that our hope will be renewed, and our strength restored.  He is with us always, saying just look at me.  He is all that we need, all the time.  He will care for us, in ways that we could never imagine.  We just have to see him.

We are keeping a few puppies but the others have gone.  The kittens and mama cat are soon going to new homes.  They are ready and they too will have all that they need.  I am so thankful when I remember to put my eyes on God and He renews my perspective... More important than anything is that we keep our eyes on Jesus, keep loving others and encouraging them to see the hope that He always has for us.

I know in my life I have chewed up my share of flip flops and hurt others.  I have been a nuisance and a bother and gotten into others space... I am thankful that God renews and restores relationships also and is showing me how to love better everyday.  I hope that I will always be willing to be changed and made new.

Learning To Say Thank You...

For the last year I have been meeting with a group of Nicaraguan women every Friday morning for a simple Bible study.  Every meeting starts with sharing something good that happened during the previous week.  Many times the good things that are shared are actually difficulties that occurred and God showed himself faithful.  A week ago, Elizabeth shared that she was thankful that we get to meet together every week and remember the good things because it is so easy to only see what's hard, broken and bad and so many people never see or share about the good. 

Elizabeth, Karla and Nidia preparing lunch for a team.

In James it says that "every good and perfect things is a gift from God coming down from the father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows".  We have a choice to see the good things or not and I truly believe that when we see the good, however big or small, we have seen God at work.

I am thankful to have the desire to look for God everyday and all around me... He looks like every good thing.  And the Bible says that if we look for Him, we will find Him, if we look with all of our hearts.

Last week as we closed our time together in the Bible study I asked if anyone had any prayer requests... Elizabeth said with tears in her eyes, "just for you Katie, that God will give you all that you need, always". 

I am thankful so thankful for Friday mornings.