Reason #813
Scout got her shots today and poor girl hasn't felt good since. She's hardly had any energy and has spent a majority of the day sleeping. She was excited to see us after work, and I could tell she really wanted to show her normal display of affection, but she didn't have it in her. She considered jumping up, but then decided sitting down sounded better. And so we've snuggled her and loved on her all night long with hopes that she'll feel like her old self tomorrow.
There's nothing worse than seeing someone you love feel miserable. And, it's even harder when you can't do anything about it. You can't take their pain away. You can't explain it to them, and even if you could, they still feel bad. You don't know when it'll be over and they'll feel fine again. And so you just love on them and hope that somehow your affection makes up for it.
But sometimes, when we're hurting, we don't want affection. We don't want attention and we want to be left alone. We want to feel bad by ourselves, and so we push everyone away. We wallow in our pity, only dragging out and increasing the misery because, although misery loves company, some time misery has a hard time accepting it. Sometimes misery wants to feel worse than it has to and so it avoids at all costs. It locks itself up and pushes everyone away only to realize that it doesn't feel any better alone.
Scout could be really upset with me for making her go to the vet and sit in her kennel alone feeling bad, but she's decided she'd rather soak up my love and attention tonight. Wherever I have moved, she has moved. She's laid her little head on my leg, my neck, my arm, or whatever she could get to. She's let me scratch her, hold her, cuddle her, and she's stayed close by because I am pretty sure that, even though she feels really crummy, a little extra love is comforting.
When we hurt, God notices. And sure, maybe He has allowed that hurt to come our way, but it doesn't mean He has stopped caring about us. But sometimes we choose to believe that. We think that maybe He is mad at us. Maybe He is punishing us, or maybe He quit loving us. And so we push away. We separate ourselves and don't allow Him to come close because we're upset about the fact that we're miserable. Yet at the times in my life where I have been at my lowest, I've followed Scout's example and I've drawn closer to the Lord. I took the opportunity to seek Him because of the pain, and I found such comfort each time. God would lavish His love on me, and although I still hurt and was upset, I found that I could get through it. I found that the comfort and peace He would bestow upon me encouraged me to hang in there, even when I didn't really want to, because those feelings alone were so sweet. As God continued to wrap His love around me in such tender and powerful ways, I came to realize that it did make me feel better. And each day, as I would curl up beside Him looking for a little more comfort, I'd find it. Comfort that would soothe the ache, that would heal the wounds, and comfort that would remind me that eventually I'd feel better.
So run to God when you feel bad. When you are hurting and aching and completely upset, draw near to Him. Don't separate yourself from the comfort and love He desires to lavish up on you abundantly. Let Him. Let Him love you and encourage you and lift your spirits. He will, and it will amaze you how much better you feel if you'll just curl up next to Him and rest in His arms. He is the best cure for any ailment you may have, and He'll be quick to love on you if you'll accept it.
#813 - Because He is the best cure to any ailment!
"Now let your unfailing love comfort me, just as you promised me, your servant." - Psalm 119:76
There's nothing worse than seeing someone you love feel miserable. And, it's even harder when you can't do anything about it. You can't take their pain away. You can't explain it to them, and even if you could, they still feel bad. You don't know when it'll be over and they'll feel fine again. And so you just love on them and hope that somehow your affection makes up for it.
But sometimes, when we're hurting, we don't want affection. We don't want attention and we want to be left alone. We want to feel bad by ourselves, and so we push everyone away. We wallow in our pity, only dragging out and increasing the misery because, although misery loves company, some time misery has a hard time accepting it. Sometimes misery wants to feel worse than it has to and so it avoids at all costs. It locks itself up and pushes everyone away only to realize that it doesn't feel any better alone.
Scout could be really upset with me for making her go to the vet and sit in her kennel alone feeling bad, but she's decided she'd rather soak up my love and attention tonight. Wherever I have moved, she has moved. She's laid her little head on my leg, my neck, my arm, or whatever she could get to. She's let me scratch her, hold her, cuddle her, and she's stayed close by because I am pretty sure that, even though she feels really crummy, a little extra love is comforting.
When we hurt, God notices. And sure, maybe He has allowed that hurt to come our way, but it doesn't mean He has stopped caring about us. But sometimes we choose to believe that. We think that maybe He is mad at us. Maybe He is punishing us, or maybe He quit loving us. And so we push away. We separate ourselves and don't allow Him to come close because we're upset about the fact that we're miserable. Yet at the times in my life where I have been at my lowest, I've followed Scout's example and I've drawn closer to the Lord. I took the opportunity to seek Him because of the pain, and I found such comfort each time. God would lavish His love on me, and although I still hurt and was upset, I found that I could get through it. I found that the comfort and peace He would bestow upon me encouraged me to hang in there, even when I didn't really want to, because those feelings alone were so sweet. As God continued to wrap His love around me in such tender and powerful ways, I came to realize that it did make me feel better. And each day, as I would curl up beside Him looking for a little more comfort, I'd find it. Comfort that would soothe the ache, that would heal the wounds, and comfort that would remind me that eventually I'd feel better.
So run to God when you feel bad. When you are hurting and aching and completely upset, draw near to Him. Don't separate yourself from the comfort and love He desires to lavish up on you abundantly. Let Him. Let Him love you and encourage you and lift your spirits. He will, and it will amaze you how much better you feel if you'll just curl up next to Him and rest in His arms. He is the best cure for any ailment you may have, and He'll be quick to love on you if you'll accept it.
#813 - Because He is the best cure to any ailment!
"Now let your unfailing love comfort me, just as you promised me, your servant." - Psalm 119:76