A PIECE OF MY HEART...feeding time

One thing that I love about our dogs is that when it comes to feeding time, they are always ready to receive the goods. One of the reasons that they wait so patiently as I stir up their dishes is because they have done this before. They have gone thru the routine and they know exactly what is happening and what is about to happen.

When I pick up their bowls and go into the kitchen, they know what is about to take place. When I open up the dog food bin, they know what is about to take place. When they watch me stir it all up and pour it into their dish, they know what is about to take place. Something good is about to be dished out to them!

I wonder what kind of reaction I would get if instead of dishing out the good dog food, I gave them some generic food that had gone bad. I am confident that their reaction would not be the same. And most likely after one or two times of giving them some bad food, they would probably change their attitude when it came to feeding time. Perhaps their enthusiasm would diminish abit.

Spiritually speaking, people can be like dogs at feeding time. I am not suggesting that you are a "dog" but I am suggesting that when people throw out positive, encouraging, sweet aroma kind of words our way, it is much easier to digest than if all they gave us was discouraging, disheartening put-downs all of the time. Over a period of time, we would take on the character of the dog and our enthusiasm to be around such gloom and despair would most likely diminish also.

If you ever got around our dogs at feeding time, you would see very quickly which one is the dominant one. Jasmine is a 13 year old beagle and she has the liberty to go from one dog dish to another eating when she wants, as much as she wants. The other two dogs just get out of her way when she comes around. When she is thru feasting at their bowl, they then begin to eat what she has left behind.

I have been around some real life "dogs" in my lifetime. The kind that seem to take out the light in a bright and shiny room. The kind that have a need to control things or be the "dominate" one in the relationship. They have a aura about them that is less pleasing to ones appetite. They have a way to speak nothing good into peoples lives. It is heartbreaking that it is their voice that we so often listen to. Their negative leftovers is what we often feed upon.

It was once said that you could be in a room with ten people. 9 of those 10 can say wonderful things to you, while that other one can say something negative. It will not be the 9 positive things that you will remember, the only thing that will stand out is that one negative thing.

I don't know about you, but I am tired of feeding on the generic brand of humanity. No longer do I have to listen to what "they" say about me, all that matters is what Jesus says about me.  Jesus calls me His Own and He trusts me so much that He has entrusted me with His sheep...

JOHN 21:17 "The third time He said to him, 'Simon, son of John, do you love Me?...Lord, You know all things, You know I love You.' Jesus said 'Feed my sheep.' "

Jesus is asking us to feed one another, the same call as He gave Peter, He is charging us to go out and feed His lambs. Not with our second best but with our very, very best. May the food we offer be of His love, forgiveness and Grace. It is the kind of food that will not only be irresistible, but nourishing and life changing.

It's feeding time....time to turn your ear to hear what God has to say. Chew on that for awhile my friend!