"...He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided and all was calm." Luke 8:24
Loyal, loving, and totally dependent on me, my Shih Tzu, Bo, follows me around the house at all times. He anxiously waits for my every move. If I temporarily stand in my house, whether it be in conversation with someone, or if I stop briefly and have an A-D-D moment (trying to remember what I was going to do in the next room), he is there. Constantly at my feet trying to anticipate my next move.
He is parked at my feet right now as I sit at my computer at type. In fact, a few months ago I finally broke down and bought my four-legged child an extra doggie bed to put under the desk so that he can lay comfortably at my feet.
However, Bo is also a scaredy cat when the wind takes it up a notch. Sometimes during the night, when there is only a faint howling in the breeze, the shutters gently beat against the house, and the wind chimes make a midnight melody, Bo is awake, anxious and afraid.
He pants heavily and constantly; he paws on me, he walks back and forth on the bed with us, and yes, he even "talks" to me. You know, he wants to bark to get my attention, but is smart enough to know that is not a wise move while everyone is in a state of slumber.
Finally, after several sleepless nights, I asked the veterinarian if there was anything I could give Bo to help calm his little nerves. Believe it or not, I now give my dog Xanax, the antidepressant for canines!
Now when the breeze blows a little bolder in the late night hours, Bo can literally take a chill pill and sleep with the rest of us. Funny, though he still ends up at my feet, under the covers. And I kind of enjoy the snuggly, furry foot warmer as long as he is still breathing!
Apparently, that is where Bo is most comforted, at the feet of his master.
Isn't that where we should find our comfort as well?
Sitting at the feet of Jesus, The Master, is exactly where Mary was in Luke 10:38-42 - the story of Mary and Martha. While Martha was distracted, Mary was sitting quietly, drinking it all in.
Of course Jesus says, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (vs. 41-42)
Just a couple of chapters before this scene, the disciples and Jesus were on a boat in a storm at sea. Jesus was sleeping soundly, but the disciples were awake and fearful. They woke him saying, "Master, Master, we're going to drown!" Luke 8:24
Of course, Jesus calmed the wind and the sea...and asked, "Where is your faith?" (Luke 8:25)
When the high winds of life blow and things get rough and stormy, where do I go? I know where I should go. But am I more like Martha? Do I get upset, frustrated, aggravated with circumstances and people?
Or do I choose to kneel at the feet of Jesus and find my comfort?
Another important point for me to remember is that the time Mary spent with the Lord, Jesus said, will not be taken away from her. How important then, is our time spent at the feet of the Master even before the thunder begins to rumble and the lighting ever strikes? It is a relationship that sustains through difficult patterns of weather and seasons in our life.
Lord, help me to long for my Master and constantly abide in Him (John 15:9 NASB), and choose daily to follow You (John 10:27 NASB). Just as a little dog simply wants to be with and follow his master, may I make it a habit to sit at your feet every day. And may the first thing I do is fall at your feet and lay it all down when the storms of life begin to blow.
(c) Christy Long. All Rights Reserved.
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