Acts 3:19

The other night around 5:45, just as it had begun to snow and sleet, my 9month old lab puppy escaped during a brief moment that the front door was open. “Come!” Is clearly not a command this dog has mastered, hence 30 long minutes of disaster.

Since my husband wasn’t home yet, I chased Jake for 30 minutes. During the chase, he went swimming in the lake behind my house; he enjoyed watching me chase him; and he loved playing cat and mouse at every turn. I on the other hand was LIVID. It was dark. It was snowing and sleeting. All I had on was a hoodie sweatshirt. I was freezing – yet boiling with anger. I cannot even mention the words or phrases or sentences that I was uttering during this chase. They were horrific. Without giving you the embarrassing details, they were very uncharacteristic.

The next morning as I approached my time with Jesus, I didn’t even want to spend time with Jesus. I didn’t want to post anything on this blog. And I truly just wanted to quit – over a dog! I knew my actions and my words the night before had been atrocious. “You call yourself a Christian,” I’d hear in my ear. “God doesn’t want to talk to you,” is what I’d hear in the other ear.

Despite these words of condemnation, I slithered into my time with God and humbly confessed my behavior the night before. I told God that “if He didn’t want to talk to me, I’d understand.” That, “I should know better,” but that “I was so very sorry. Please forgive me.”

My devotional reading led me to Luke 17. I read above and below the day’s assigned reading. This is when I heard the sweetest words spoken into my heart: “If he sins against you 7 times in a day, and 7 times comes back to you and says, ‘I repent’, forgive him.” (v4)

This was a hug of forgiveness from heaven. The hug that my soul craved. Just the right words that I needed to hear. If I had skipped my time with Him, I would have missed out on the refreshment the Lord wanted to give to me.

He wants to give it to you too. Spend time with Him. Confess your sins and be willing to repent – turn from them. You too, will get the most genuine hug from heaven. Refreshment, that can only come from Him.

It’s taken me 3 days to want to hug Jake again. I’ve been irritated about the sleet-run all week. Boy, I’m glad Jesus doesn’t feel the same towards me!

Have a good day!