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No Regrets

Our semi-sweet chocolate lab is two years old. Aw, the terrible twos. Still technically a puppy I suppose but I was hoping for her dog years to be of a higher IQ than what she showed me the other day.

Thinking that she is old enough to no longer have to sleep in her kennel at night, we have given her a little more freedom. She has a nice comfortable bed that lays at the side of our bed. You would think this would be a wonderful thing for her. Nice soft mattress verses a cold, hard piece of plastic. Which, side note, is of her own doing since she ate whatever cushion we put in there to provide more comfort for her. 


For nearly a week we have tested this new sleeping arrangement. I actually like it, especially when my hubby travels and I'm sure she does too. She has done really well until the other day. Maybe it was my fault that I had left her most of the day and she had too much bottled up energy or she was punishing me. I am certain she misses her old yard and neighborhood. Maybe she is a bit homesick. Either way, it wasn't her best decision. 

I don't know how or when she was able to do this without my hearing it but there you go: 



Yep, same comfortable, cozy bed. I wonder if she has regrets? What is she thinking? "Oops, I did it again" or "I didn't mean to, It felt good at the time" or maybe "hey, what do you expect? I'm a teenager, I'm suppose to do these things". I'm sure she was thinking, "I bet the boy master will buy me another one to play with, he gives me whatever I want" (that's true)

As I was scooping up all the super soft, green guts of her once comfortable bed I asked her one question. "What is wrong with you?"  Ok, I asked her several questions in those few moments of cleaning up her mess. " Any regrets? "We give you everything you could possibly need and want and this is how you treat it" (this wasn't really a question). But that stopped me in my tracks. "Connie, don't you do the same with some of the gifts God gives you?"

I abuse the body He has given me by feeding it garbage, I take for granted the places He takes me and the people He puts in my life.  I don't always love and appreciate them as I should, I pridefully think my way is best when He has given me a perfect plan for my life. I take His precious gift of life for granted. Oops, I did it again. I didn't mean to. What do you expect? I'm still growing. 

Yikes! Yes, I'm still growing. Yes, God loves me and will continue to do so regardless. I'm grateful that He is a forgiving Father and doesn't condemn. Yet, I can take these and some of His other gifts for granted. I am so thankful He uses moments like this to teach and train me to make better choices. So that I won't have more regrets later. I know I cannot buy another life here on earth.

We are all a work in progress but progress means moving toward a goal of further or higher stage. Not backsliding. Not returning to the old ways of doing things but progressing toward growth. I heard a great quote the other day from Pastor Bill Hybels, "There are no do overs but there are make overs" I love that. Annie doesn't get a do over on that one stupid choice she made to eat her bed. But, when the boy master gives her another one she can make a better choice in how she treats it. And the same goes for me. Today is a gift, regardless of where I am in my circumstances.

Each day, by God's grace and mercy, we are given a make over kind of day. Today, I want to make better choices in how I treat the gifts God has given me. Beginning with the gift of life and the people He has put in it. I want to live a life of no regrets.  

Pressing On 

“For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.”
Romans 7:19 NIV

“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”
2 Corinthians 7:10 NIV

“being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 1:6 NIV

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