It’s A New Day

I’m in Australia enjoying a sweet reunion with dear Russian friends who immigrated from Kyrgyzstan six years ago. They’ve shown me beautiful sights in their new homeland. I’ve seen a variety of trees I’ve never seen before. I’ve seen parrots of brilliant colors, and today I saw my first kangaroo in the wild!

All of these things are wonderful, but for my blog this week, those of you who know me well, won’t be surprised that my topic was inspired by a dog named Jessie. This little black and white terrier belongs to Ivan and Galina who I am staying with while in Perth.

Jessie was happy enough to meet me but had a reserve about her. However, a gift of a squeaky rabbit, endless time tossing a ball, and several energetic walks later, and Jessie counts me as one of the family.

This trust and joy in my company has thrilled me. As I have thought about the joy shared between us, I realize it has come about as a result of time spent together. It’s not unlike the joy that grows with time spent in the presence of God. He gives us good gifts, walks and talks with us, and is always pleased when we come to Him.

It’s the “coming to Him” where many of us fail. We convince ourselves that we’re useless, unworthy, failures on a regular basis, etc. Such feelings can rob us of tremendous joy.

What can we do? We can begin by remembering what is written in Lamentations 3:22-23, “Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed. His compassionate never fail. They are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness.”