Living in Expectation

Sadly, I'm not always like my dog.

Now before you go all crazy on me wondering why I'm disappointed to not be like my dog, let me explain.

Any scrape of a chair, any unusual squeaking sound, any gasp, any knocking, practically any breathing sound can, without a moment's notice, send my dog into a frenzied bark. Sounds of nails scraping against the slippery wooden floors will commence, along with a dog who seems to have gone insane. Running to our door, he will bark ferociously at our mail slot, sure that the mailman must have arrived. 49 out of 50 times it will be a false call, and he will settle down for a little bit, awaiting the next unknown sound that could possibly be this mysterious intruder.

My dog knows that the mailman is coming and he's waiting. He will be ready when the mailman comes--there's no chance my dog is going to miss him.

Now, let me back up to my first sentence. Sadly, I'm not always like my dog. I know for a fact that Jesus Christ is coming back. But I'm not always acting like I know that. I'm not always living how I should for someone who knows that Jesus could come back at any second. 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 says, "Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night."

 We're living in the knowledge that Jesus could come back any second, but are we living like we truly believe it? 

Kayla Joy

Teetering Through the Day?

I teetered back and forth, sure I was going to fall off. For the first time in horseback riding lessons, we had tried to ride without stirrups at a trot. If you've never ridden horses before, then you don't know how hard this is. If you've never ridden a horse at a trot without stirrups with a tilted saddle before, then you have no idea how nearly impossible this is!

My wonderful horse, Captain, is sweet and stubborn. He won't let anyone tighten his girth. And without tightening his girth enough, the saddle will be tilted. After a worker painstakingly managed to tighten his girth, she didn't tighten it enough.

Here I was, on a tilted, sliding saddle, going at a trot (with my horse begging to burst into a canter), without stirrups, and turning a corner. Everyone watching was sure I was going to fall off and, honestly, I have no clue how I was able to hold on long enough to slow him down.

Like me teetered back and forth on a saddle, it is possible to not read your Bible as you go through the day. Lots of people do. But I have honestly found that it makes the whole rest of my day go smoother if I take time to read my Bible in the mornings. Often time the passages I read that morning stick with me throughout the day, encouraging me. 2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." If Scripture is God-breathed, then it must be important to read.

Without reading my Bible daily, I find myself teetering through the day, worn out and down right grumpy. It's amazing the difference when I actually take the time to be in God's Word.

Kayla Joy