Ok, if you’re a cat lover, don’t hate me!
I’m sure they have good points but please indulge me here for the sake of making a point.
I was reading my devotional the other day about choosing right thoughts and the author used an analogy that was so humorous but true. It reminded me of the three dachshunds we’ve had.
Excerpts from a Dog’s Diary:
8 AM Ate dog food. My favorite thing!
9 AM Went for a car ride. My favorite thing!
9:40 AM Walked in the park. My favorite thing!
10:30 AM Got rubbed and petted. My favorite thing!
12 PM Ate lunch. My favorite thing!
1PM Played ball in the yard. My favorite thing!
3 PM Took a nap. My favorite thing!
5 PM Ate a treat. My favorite thing!
8 PM Watched TV with my people. My favorite thing!
11 PM Slept on the bed ! My favorite thing!
Cat’s Diary:
Day 983 of my imprisonment.
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre dangling objects. The only thing that helps me carry on is me dream of escaping out the door.
The author shared this observation: “Two critters… similar situations….totally different experiences. What made the difference? Their thoughts.
I had heard a similar one from a friend who was relating a sermon her pastor had delivered about kids vs. teenagers. 😅
The pastor said, ” Kids are like dogs. So glad to see you. sit next to you. Get attention from you. Just be with you. Then they grow into teenagers and become cats.”
Two people can experience similar situations and and have completely opposite reactions. We can get jaded and weighed down by our jobs, the seemingly endless list of things that need to be done at home. We can feel like we’re stuck in the “Groundhog Day” movie and get in a rut of complaining.
A lot of our perspective comes from our thoughts. It’s what you focus on.
The author of the devotional quoted Marcus Auerlius: Our life is what our thoughts make it.
I know that work and “mom-life” is stressful. I’ve been there – I was a teacher struggling to get through the the days with a classroom full of young, energetic kids. I was wishing for the weekends to hurry up.
But at some point it hit me that I was literally wishing my days away… my time with my loved ones.
I was in a Bible study group and we did a study on the Israelite’s habit of complaining. I began to pray that God would help me stop complaining and develop an “attitude of gratitude.”
It was not an easy transition but I realized I was busy each day because God had called me to teach and provided me with a job. I was busy at home because God had blessed me with a husband and child, food to cook, clothes to wear and a home to keep clean.
A mission trip to Haiti really humbled me as to how spoiled I was. Most of the people there had to go to the well to get the water they used each day.
The compound had a tank outside where water was stored. The water in the tank was warmed by the sun each day but you might run out of warm water if people took long showers so we were conservative of our water, just turning it on when we needed to get wet, then turned it off until time to rinse off.
Last week we were without water for around 17-18 hours. Yes, it was inconvenient but we didn’t complain.
Our eyes were opened to just how privileged we are to be able to turn on a faucet and have clean, warm water on demand.
So you have a choice when it comes to your attitude; you can be appreciative in life every day or you can take everything and everyone for granted, focusing on the constraints of life, and complaining.
When you think you’ve had a bad day, think about the people who are battling illness, struggling with poverty, homelessness, infertility, divorce and grieving the passing of their loved ones.
The author of the devotional pointed out that “at any given moment, it’s within your capacity to turn your thoughts in one direction or the other.”
2022 may have been a tough year. I’m not discounting it or glossing over it in any way. We all have had those years, especially recently. But you had time with loved ones and friends and you had to make changes in the situations you’re not happy with.
Our Superhero has gone on…We surely miss her but we are thankful we had time with her. I’m a dog -person because I think dogs teach us how to love unconditionally and so many other important life-lessons.
I’m definitely a dog.
What about you?
Dinah's Dabblings 