One of the most important characters in my life is my dog, Sheena. She's thirteen, has cataracts, arthritis, and a tumor on her running leg the size of a golf ball, but being part Border Collie, she's still on the job as the canine-keeper of this family – her flock, if you will.

Every so often, as I'm walking down the hall, I'll suddenly feel a cold nose nudging me at the back of the knees, toward... you guessed it... the kitchen.

One day, as I was making a sandwich, I threw Sheena a piece of ham and it landed on her head. It drove her crazy for a few seconds there – where is that ham? I can smell it! It's nearby. She whipped her hair like Willow Smith for awhile till it finally fell off her head and onto the ground, and she devoured it.

This made me think of how often we ask God for blessings, then get so worked up and ready to receive it that we don't realize it's already fallen on us. Sometimes it's in a form we don't recognize. A few months back, I noticed that annoying flap of flab under my upper arms, so I prayed very specifically for God to tighten up that area for me. So what did He do? Hmph. That Creator of All Things made a way for me, only did I appreciate it? Nah. What did He do? Listen, I heard you the first time.

Alright already, I'll tell you. He broke my clothes washer. Yep. Knocked it right out of commission. How does this relate to underarm flab, you ask? You really do ask a lot of questions, I've noticed. Well, I had to wash my clothes somehow till the new washer came. In the kitchen sink. By hand! You guessed it. He made me actually USE the arm muscles I was trying to tone.

But that's not what I asked for! I asked God to do it for me! What is this nonsense? Do You mean You'll make it possible, but I have to make it happen? What about parting the Red Sea? How about those loaves and fishes? Give a girl a break. I'm keeping the faith. I'm doing the right thing. I may not have a lot right now, but what I do have, I always share. So what's the deal?

The deal is, sometimes, God opens the door for you. Then He waits for you to walk through. On the other side, you might find new adventures, inspired ideas, kindred spirits, and maybe even things you never knew existed, like a hat made of ham. You'll never know till you give it a try.

Walking with You

For now, I'm in the ante-room of life, waiting,
perusing month-old magazines,
fully expecting You to wave that flag when the race begins.

Little do I know, it's already fully underway.

Motivate me to see beyond the confines of faith
and to move from waiting on You to walking with You.
I ask that You bless me with self-determination,
and I'll assume that if You gave me the dream,
You want me to make it come true.

When I try a little, You bless me a little.
When I try a lot, You bless me a lot.
Remind me of this correlation daily.

-Ruth Williams