Lavished With Love…

Last night I was watching my husband with one of our basset hounds (his “baby”) Blossom. They have a bedtime ritual that they perform every night. When Bud goes to bed Blossom follows him. She gets on the bed beside him and he rubs her. As he pets and rubs her she starts to hum. He can even make a tone and she will basically imitate him. As long as Bud is willing to pet her, she will stay there and enjoy the love He is lavishing on her.

Blossom

It is fun to watch her as she has a look of complete adoration on her face the whole time he is petting her. There is no one else in the world but Bud at that time. And pretty much nothing I do will take her attention away from him. In her world, there is only Blossom and Bud.

I’m sure you have heard the tale about the dog and the cat. A dog sees his owner feeding him, caring for him, and petting him and thinks, “He must be God.” A cat sees his owner feeding him, caring for him, and petting him and thinks, “I must be God.” A speaker in my Perspectives class called this basic premise Dog and Cat Theology.

There is some truth in that old adage. Because when Blossom looks at Bud while he is petting her, there is no doubt that she sees him as God. In her life, he is the one providing for her and the one who cares for her. When the mean cat at my father-in-law’s house slaps Blossom, she runs as fast as her short legs will take her straight to Bud.

While I was watching the two of them in their “love fest” last night, I couldn’t help but think about my relationship with God. Am I willing to just enjoy the love God lavishes upon me? Do I look upon Jesus’ face and nail scarred hands in adoration? When I am praying is there only God and me? When life smacks me in the face, do I run as fast as my short legs will take me straight to God?

There is so much I can learn from Blossom’s single-minded adoration. God lavishes me in so many ways every day. He protects me and cares for me. He provides for me and my family. Zephaniah 3:17 says, “The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” And Psalm 94:17-19 says, “If the Lord had not been my help, My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence. If I should say, ‘My foot has slipped,’ Your lovingkindness, O Lord, will hold me up. When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul.” And all He wants from me is my adoration…single-minded, uninhibited adoration.

It seems like so little to ask…after all He has done for me and continues to do for me. He chose me from before the foundations of the earth. The adoration should be no problem.

So I will again push aside my selfish, sin-filled self and love my Lord with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I will adore Him! And I too, like Blossom, will enjoy being lavished with love.