Get A God Perspective

Today is the day I'll scoot around on the kitchen floor.

Why?

Because sometimes that's what needs to be done.

It always starts out innocently enough. Playing with a small child, dropping a vitamin and having to get it before the 5 second rule expires. Today it was spending some quality time with my aging pup.

So far this morning it has taken her about three hours to make it from her bed to the middle of the kitchen. I know she's wanting to go outside. That's always the first thing.

As she made a few steps before taking a break, I decided to give her another Tramadol. She actually took it without an issue...which is surprising as she usually spits it back out.

While there in the floor with her, I looked around. Being one of the taller folks in the family, seeing things from a lower view brings on a whole other batch of stuff, or issues. Time to get further under the stove, figure out how to clean between the glass on the oven door and oil those darn cabinets again.

Maybe another day.

Today I wanna decide how to honor this friend of mine that has been through so much, and who I view as a life parallel. We have much in common and I have much to learn from her still.

She's a fierce protector, loves me unconditionally and likes to eat. She knows what she wants and usually gets her way. We've walked miles together, laughed and cried together and grown old together. She's been known to gripe and holler quite often but there really isn't a better dog around. She's a tough ol'e girl and she just keeps on goin'.

Perspective is a useful tool. Being on the floor with my buddy puts a different perspective on the cleanliness of my kitchen, but more importantly it puts a different perspective on my day and on how I want to live out my life.

When she finally takes her last breath there will be sadness, but also relief. Sadness because she's been such a HUGE part of our lives for so long, she'll be 15 this fall. Relief because of the great dog she's been and the way she has blessed us. I'm thankful for all the times I got frustrated with her complaining and all the times she woke me in the middle of the night.

I'm thankful for how she protected me from a stray dog, the cable installer and likely other things I don't even know about. And I'll be sad when I have my quiet time without her at my feet.

She's a dog. They don't have very long lives. We expect them to pass before we do, but wow can they put perspective on life.

They come in cute and fluffy, ready to learn what we teach them and go out frail and needy or sometimes sooner than we'd think.

If dog years are accurate, then it puts a big perspective on how short life is. We really don't know when it'll take an unpredictable turn. We could live out our lives as a lumpy old complainer or we could have our life cut short by any number of things.

I'd like to think that when I go I'll be as ready as my four legged friend, having had a good life with thousands of memories, lots of love, happy days and remembered as someone who was good to know.

I woke up this morning with a song in my head,
"Count your blessings-name-them-one-by one....countyourmanyblessingsseewhatGod-has-done." So, each time I got frustrated this morning, I sang this song and it has put a different perspective on my day.

God is good. I'm off the floor. The cabinets may not get oiled today but stroking the super-soft ear of one of my very best friends reminded me that some things are just not important.

I'd like be remembered for how I made someone feel loved
rather than for how clean my cabinets were.

Get a good perspective. A GOD perspective.

Hebrews 12:1-2