The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; but I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10 NIV
One of the perks of working from home is having the opportunity to dog sit my nephew’s dog, Kratos. I absolutely love Kratos. He is an Italian mastiff and weighs around 104 pounds. He hangs out with me at least once a month.
Kratos arrived yesterday morning around 6:30 and did his usual exploring around the house. Sniffing and inspecting. He was not sure of the new exercise bike in my bedroom. I wrote about that last week, if you missed it click here.
Our usual routine is I fix him breakfast, a hot dog mixed with his dry dog food, open the backdoor just enough for him to go in and out, and I read my Bible.
Yesterday, we mixed things up a bit. I actually went back to bed, that’s what happens when I stay up too late watching a Hallmark movie. After Kratos ate and explored the backyard, he jumped in bed with me and we both fell asleep.
We awoke suddenly to the sound of a bird chirping, Sara described it as a bird screaming, that may be a bit of an exaggeration. We jumped out of bed to find the back door wide open, thank you Kratos, and a bird perched on the back of a chair in the kitchen.
Kratos is not a hunting dog. All 104 pounds of him is curious but gentle. The bird landed on the floor and Kratos just sniffed it. I thought for sure I was going to be cleaning up a bloody mess, but Kratos is not a killer. My two previous dogs on the other hand would have thought this bird was a gift from God. I don’t want to remember how many dead birds made their way into my house thanks to those sweet pups.
The bird flew under the couch, sat on the curtain rod in the kitchen, and kept trying with no avail to fly through the closed windows. Eventually, after about 15 minutes, the bird flew through the open door to its freedom. Kratos ran after it like he was losing a friend. I have a souvenir from that bird of his poop and feathers, lovely.
We went about our day, I made the bed, read my Bible and took Kratos for a walk. I kept thinking, This story is going to make a great blog post. I could go in a dozen different directions relating this story to a biblical truth, however, I landed on this: be curious and have fun.
Kratos had no idea when he climbed into Michael’s truck yesterday morning that he was going to be seeing me and more importantly meeting the bird. That bird was so much fun for him. And he wasn’t afraid of it even when it was flapping its wings nearly as fast as a humming bird right against his big, black, wet nose. He just kept sniffing it. He was curious about this creature who had come into the house.
This wonderful dog looks at life as an adventure. He goes wherever he’s taken and embraces whatever each day has in store for him. He can make a game out of just about anything. In fact, most pillows are meant to be played with, beds are meant to be jumped on, and shoes are meant to be chewed.
So what if we looked at life through Kratos’ eyes. Life is meant to be lived to the fullest. Jesus tells us in our verse for today that He came so we would have a full life or an abundant life.
Are you living the abundant life? Or has the thief, the enemy, stolen your joy or killed your enthusiasm, or destroyed your sense of adventure? Take a moment to ponder that question with the Lord. Is there an area of your life that doesn’t feel abundant? Ask the Lord how to make the change? What is one thing you could change that would have you feeling more full?
My newest book, Stop the Lies, comes out at the end of the month. In it, I challenge you to compare our loving God with the enemy and I teach you how to take the lies that you are hearing and believing and even agreeing with and replace them with Truth.
God has good plans for us. Make that declaration today, God has good plans for me.
