*A life application activity is included in this blog!
My sweet baby dog, Macie, is a Tzu Frise mix and fits into the category of Teddy Bear Dog. Not only does Macie look like a teddy bear with her big, brown eyes, black button nose, and ridiculously cute face, but her fur is sooooo soft! Little Macie is happy, friendly, playful, and a generous giver of loving licks! It feels like one of my stuffed teddy bears from childhood miraculously came to life! Personally, that’s a dream come true!
This is my first time “parenting” a puppy, and I’ve been surprised by how much dogs have in common with people and how raising up a pup reminds me of the Father’s love for us.
Macie is a peaceful puppy…UNTIL she hears an unexpected noise or spots a person or dog she hasn’t met. Steve, me, and our little pup live in an apartment with a back door and porch overlooking a whirring street and a sidewalk hosting numerous travellers. Less than a mile down the road is a fire station. Distracting sights and sounds are unavoidable, and my pup’s peace is disrupted often.
When voices and images from the outside world capture Macie’s attention and she feels they are a threat to her and “her pack,” her internal switch flips to “watch dog.” In the wag of a tail, she goes from peaceful pup to ballistic barker! Macie weighs in at only 14 lbs, but she can bark with the big dogs! SHE’S. SO. LOUD. AND. SHE. KEEPS. BARKING. AND BARKING. AND BARKING SOME MORE. With heart pounding and anxiety written all over her fluffy face, Macie reaches a point where she’s almost inconsolable.
One thing always calms my baby dog. In a gentle, confident tone, I tell her, “Macie, it’s ok. You’re a dog of the covenant. God’s got you.” I know—it’s a quirky thing to tell a puppy! I hear the phrase “child of the covenant” a lot at my Presbyterian church—looks like it stuck!
Within a day or two of adding Macie to our “pack,” I witnessed her ballistic barking, and those words just rolled off my tongue! A few seconds later, she stopped barking, growled some, and then went back to playing!
Hearing me speak that sentiment to Macie also makes Steve laugh, so that makes two good reasons to keep it going!
My encouragement to Macie reminds me of the “truth talks” I have with myself when I’m feeling anxious and desire God’s peace to reign in my heart again.
As weak-hearted people living in a sin-stained world, we need reminders that we have an omnipresent, omnipotent, almighty God who watches over us and looks after us. Our hearts and lives rest securely in His hands.
AimeeSimmons.com
Reflection
- When you feel threatened by what you hear (or see) in the world, what do you say to yourself?
- When you face circumstances beyond your control that threaten your peace of mind and heart, what is your inner monologue?
- What do you feel anxious about today?
If you are hearing voices and/or seeing images in the world that threaten your inner peace, I’m going to share a simple activity with you that will help you put things in the proper perspective. If you are facing circumstances beyond your control that threaten your peace of mind and heart, the activity below will help you recenter yourself in Christ and His peaceful presence.
“Consider the Contrasts” — application activity
In this activity, you’ll consider the contrasts…(1) between the character of Christ and the concerns you have about your current circumstances, and (2) between this world and your heavenly home.
1—Start with a prayer:
Heavenly Father, I praise You, for You are Perfect Peace. Father, I come to you with a heavy heart, beating anxiously as I look at my circumstances and think about the future. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you.” As I go through this activity, I ask You to take my eyes and thoughts off of my circumstances and focus my attention on Christ. Empower me to aim for Him and to share His mindset. Strengthen my heart to trust Him and to beat in sync with His peaceful heart. I pray in Jesus’ Powerful Name, Amen.
2—Ask yourself: What circumstances are causing me to feel anxious? What concerns me about these circumstances?
3—Ask: How has the presence of sin in the world and in human hearts impacted these circumstances? Include any Bible verses that come to mind.
(Romans 8:22-23) We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.”
4—Ask: Has any specific sin been revealed through these circumstances (including any sin of my own)? Include any Bible verses that come to mind.
5—Ask: How is Christ’s character, His thoughts toward me, and His ways with me BETTER than how the world/others are treating me?
6—Ask: How is Christ’s character, His thoughts toward me, and His ways with me BETTER than how I am treating myself and how I am responding to these circumstances? Include any Bible verses that come to mind.
7—Ask: How will your heavenly home be BETTER than this sin-stained world? Below are some verses to inspire you!
(Hebrews 13:14) “For this world is not our home; we are looking forward to our everlasting home in heaven.”
(1 Corinthians 15:52) “In a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”
(Revelation 21:3-4) “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’”
(Revelation 21:6) “He said to me: ‘It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.’”
(Revelation 21:21-22) “The twelve gates (of the Holy City, Jerusalem) were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass. I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.”
7—End with prayer. Below is a prayer starter; personalize the prayer based on what you discovered through the application activity.
Heavenly Father, Thank You for revealing Yourself to me through Christ, Your Word, and Your Spirit.
Thank You that Your thoughts and ways are FAR BETTER than the world’s thoughts and ways.
- The world , but You .
- The world , but You .
Thank You that Your character is FAR BETTER than the character of man.
- Man is , but You .
- Man is , but You .
- I am , but You .
- I am , but You .
Please forgive me. “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).
Thank You that this world is not my home and Heaven is to come! One day, Jesus will return and make all things right. I’ll be in Heaven with You enjoying .
May I live in light of eternity! In the Perfect, Powerful, Peace-Giving Name of Jesus, Amen.
.
*Verses are NIV.
Other helpful blogs: If you feel overwhelmed by emotion over your circumstances and you would like to learn other ways to seek God’s peace, then check out these blogs:
- How to Pursue a Path to Peace When You are Anxious
- Finding Peace of Mind and Heart During the Coronavirus
- Finding Peace, Purpose, and a Plan During Trails
