Recently our beloved pet Abigayle, 11 years old, ended her journey after a growth formed inside her and kept her body from working. She and I walked thousands of miles together. She was my dog and I was her person. Our grandchildren loved playing “Hide ‘N Seek” with me because Abigayle followed me where ever I went, making me pretty easy to find.
I came across this in my daily reading, from Psalm 86:
For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God. Teach me your way, O LORD; that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. Psalm 86: 10-11.
“Unite my heart to fear your name.” Sometimes Scripture can be so revealing. I know my heart has been divided. I want to write. I want to play music. I want to….
In all this it is as if I have been holding something back, some reserve for myself or for what I really want to do or how to make my mark.
But as I read that verse it seems so foolish, so self-centered, so sinful. Holding something backlike a child hiding a dirty rock in a field of diamonds. Unite my heart, O LORD.
In the week following Abigayle’s death, we had five services, and one wedding. My sister and my brother were both hospitalized with serious illness. My good friend is battling a recurrence of cancer. My brother-in-law was hospitalized. I already wrote about my dog…
But the following weekend, I’m went into a nearby prison to be part of a Kairos team, offering a type of freedom that most of us cannot imagine. If you’ve read this far, please consider praying for our team and for our “brothers-in-white.” We go to the prison a few times a year. Read another story about that here.
For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God. Teach me your way, O LORD; that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name. Psalm 86: 10-11.
With my doubts, with my holdouts, with my sin, God has used even me. And God can use you, too.
Frank is an Inspire Missioner in Texas. You can read more of his stories on his blog here.
