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Listen while you read: "Breathe On Me Breath Of God"1 (Lyrics) |
Matthew 7:11 – If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him! (NIV)
I saw the notice on the community bulletin board, and I knew that reading it was risky, but I read it anyway. They wanted to give away three Siamese kittens. I thought, Oh, my! They will go quickly! and willed the ad out of my mind. A couple of weeks later, however, the ad was still there. I thought to myself, Well, maybe I'll just call, for surely they are all gone now, and once I know that they have all been well situated, I won't think about them any more. I called. All three were still available. You guessed it. One came home with me.
I always make sure that I get a male kitten. Females can be difficult, as far as I'm concerned. Fortunately, they had a lovely male, whom I named Leo. He was just the sweetest, most loving little fellow. He learned his name very quickly; he came whenever I called him; and he got along well with the dogs and the other felines. I knew that a male would work out best.
Before long, Leo turned six months old, and I took him to the veterinarian to be neutered. She gave him a thorough checkup and told me that he was in great shape. There was just one problem which involved genetics — a problem that he was born with. He was a she. Leo was actually Cleo. What a laugh we had about that mistake!
To make a long story short, Leo becoming Cleo still ended up perfectly, for she was exactly what I had wanted: a loving, affectionate kitten that got along with everyone. That caused me to think about what I would have missed if I had known that she was a female and said "No", instead of bringing her home. God knew exactly what I was looking for and what would fit the bill. I'm so glad that the owners made a mistake when they sexed the kittens, or else I would have missed out on this special blessing.
I wonder how often this happens to us in our everyday life experiences. We miss out on God's special blessings because we already have our minds made up about what we want or think should happen. When it doesn't measure up to our expectations, we get discouraged, miffed, peeved, or just plain mad about the whole thing. Yet, if we would trust that the gifts that God gives us are good, as He has promised that they would be, instead of trusting that what we want will make us happiest, we just might discover everyday joys and blessings that are right there in front of us waiting to be embraced and relished.
What special blessing might you be missing today, because the gift that you received wasn't the one that you wanted?
Prayer: Father God, thank You for being such a good God Who promises us good gifts. Help us to have hearts and minds open to Your will amidst our own longings and desires, that we might not miss the special blessings of the good gifts that You choose to bless us with. In Christ's name, we pray. Amen.
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Saturday, May 18, 2024 – In North Africa — Living in North Africa we get so used to hearing the call to prayer it becomes like background noise and sometimes I don't hear it anymore. I am challenged by the fact that some Muslims are so committed to pray that they go to the mosque 5 times a day. Would you consider, with me, setting your alarm to go off at 3:00 every day and pray for these three things: 5 families to come to know Christ, 3 people for us to read scripture with,1 new church plant.
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Great devotional. Thank you.
We had a tabby cat we thought was a Lila. (S)he was a Lyle.
Good story, Lynne, and great application. Hope you are doing well way up North.
Very good as usual. Keep writing.
Blessings.
Thanks, Lynne,
LOVELY! Praise the LORD!
Thanks for the devotional. It was very timely and just what I needed.
May God bless you.
Just the message I need right now.
And you know that kitten was meant for you, don’t you?
Thanks Lynne for reminding us to be grateful for what the Lord gives us even though it might not exactly be what we wanted. Blessings.
Hi Lynne
What a great menagerie! I wish I could be there as I am a person who just absolutely is crazy about God’s beautiful creatures. I have 3 amazing cats. It’s like having 3 two-year-olds running around!
I also totally agree with your message. Thank you.
Dear Lynne,
What special blessing might you be missing today, because the gift that you received wasn’t the one that you wanted?
I would like to turn the question above around to make it say, “What special blessing are you receiving today because you didn’t receive the blessing you once thought you wanted?”
Yes, it fits your prayer too. Amen to it, too.
Keep writing.
Thank you, Lynne, for today’s devotional because in reading it, the Holy Spirit touched a place in my heart that is rather raw. It encouraged me to have faith in God, no matter how things might look right now and also to know that every good and perfect gift comes down from the Father of Lights. I also realized again that just because we cannot necessarily see God working, He is, because He has heard my prayers. The enemy would have me believe
that it is utterly hopeless, but then again, he is the father of lies!
Thank you for allowing God to use you today because what you wrote has renewed my hope, and I’m sure it must have touched many others as well. God bless you!
Dear Lynne,
This is such a wonderful story. Thanks for sharing. The lesson learned is a very serious one. The situation is humorous.I had a similar experience with a hamster which a child I was caring for had purchased.
The pet shop said it was a female. When it was about two years old we discovered was that it was a male. The gender made no difference at all to the hamster’s owner. The hamster got lots of loving attention and there was great grief when it had to be “put to sleep.” The caregiver is now a young adult with a family of his own. As each new baby has arrived, he shows the same “reverence for life.” Each one is cherished and enjoyed. There is no gender distinction.
All families can take a lesson from these two situations. Gender bias is often for all the wrong reasons and is not acceptable within the Christian community. You could miss a lot if you let gender affect your love and care for babies or for any of God’s creatures.
How comforting it is to know that when we stand before our Maker, we are all important to Him and we are all loved equally.
Hi Lynn,
Thank you for your devotional about the kitten. I had to read it over again. Things don’t always turn out the way we want or expect, but quit often better.
Blessings.