I like to think of myself as being able to do and balance a lot in life.
But quite honestly, while I may be able to pull off looking like I am handling a lot, I often feel very overwhelmed.
Often.
VERY overwhelmed.
It’s something I battle on a weekly, if not daily, basis. I am always trying to simplify. Cut back. Eliminate. Organize.
I always think there has to be a better way…
And this morning I found that “better way”! With coffee cup in hand, I sat down to do my online quiet time and the first verse my eyes read was this one:
“Like one who takes a dog by the ears, Is he who passes by and meddles with strife not belonging to him.” – Proverbs 26:17
Before you click the little red “x” and move on to a more interesting blog post by someone a whole lot more eloquent and sharper than I…let me explain what I mean.
In this short little verse about dog ears God gives me the answer to feeling overwhelmed.
My parents have a very beautiful dog named Colt. He’s a large German Shepherd. I love that breed of dog and grew up with a lovely female one named Kitty. But Colt is only 17 months old and obviously I have not grown up with him. My relationship is different with him than it was with Kitty. When Mom and Dad weren’t around he has barked and growled at me enough to keep me from getting out of my car. Quite honestly, I love the dog, but I am scared of him. You won’t ever see me grab him by the ears.
Because I don’t want to get bitten!
However, while I would never dream of grabbing Colt by the ears, I tend to grab a whole lot of other things by the “ears”. I grab and hold onto concerns, problems, and burdens that are not mine to hold. Then through out my day I find my mind dwelling on these things that I have no control over. Before I can say “Colt” I am feeling overwhelmed and agitated.
When I feel overwhelmed it is because I am grabbing “ears” that I was not meant to hold. Instead, I need to hand it off to God.
And when someone shares a burden with me, rather than embrace the problem as a new treasure, I need to take the person by the hand and set this concern before the Lord.
It’s His.
Not mine to grab.
How about you…do grab dog ears?
I'm simply commenting to say we're doing the same quiet time, so I like reading your thoughts on these. Proverbs is a hard book for me to read and understand, but today's passage was pretty clear and hard hitting to me, having much to do with the words I speak to others. I have a lot of growing to do.
ReplyDeleteLove the verse and how you have compared to what we tend to do on a daily base. It is something so simple to do, yet we often forget to present our burdens to the Lord making it difficult for us.
ReplyDeleteI also love german Sheperds, well, now I do. I have a four month old female, named Duchess and she is the sweeteess, smartess dog ever!
Have a wonderful week :)