Our black lab has established a ritual. If she spots one of us going upstairs she hastens to get on the stairs right in front of us and then stops. It’s time for a tummy rub. I’m not sure how long she would stay there. She outlasts me and I ultimately have to nudge her out of the way. As we rub her tummy she gets this far off look of ecstasy. All is right with the world.
She reminds me of my relationship with my heavenly Father. Every time I see an opportunity for a blessing I rush to the occasion. Like our dog I would linger forever. I wonder if God ever has to nudge me out of the way and say, “Hey, you’ve had enough for now.”
Do you remember the last words of the hymn, “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah”? They ring in my ears, “Bread of heaven, feed me till I want no more.” I am not aware of ever getting enough. I am being greedy? Should I not voluntarily step aside without the nudge, if there is a nudge? Perhaps I would if I thought I was taking from another. But the joy of having an omnipresent Father is that His attention to me does not take away from you. We can both enjoy all the attention He has to share. I think the only thing that bothers me is the question of greed. Could my desire for more of Him indicate a deep selfishness? In John 6:35 Jesus said, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger. . . ” Someday?
Irony. The quest for godlikeness is, at least for me, filled with many ironies.
Written by Roger Bothwell on January 31, 2011
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org