Here beside me sits Claire in ultimate perfection. Her eyes are looking at me with such adoration, her ears are upright sentinels, her carriage is the epitome of elegance. She sits in silence, patiently waiting for me after making sure she has dutifully complied with every piece of training that her memory can evoke. Had there not been a heartbeat beneath, she would have made an enviable statue.
There is one unfit clue however that is quite evident amidst this regal image. That is, she is dripping a rather significant amount of slobber as she watches me eat.
After dying laughing for a moment, my eyes flooded with tears as I realized how often I do this very same act before my God. I clean up, perform all the dutiful functions to make sure I am in compliance with His standards, then present my petition before Him. While this is all well and good to comply and present yourself, there is an underlying expectation that God will give way to my desire.
I adore Claire and love sharing the moment with her. Of course I love to provide for her, to praise her, to guide her, to dote on her, to watch birds and smell flowers together. I want to give her tasty treats and great sticks and fun toys but they don't always come when she is asking for them. Her best interests are always at the heart of my bond with her which means that sometimes the answer is yes, sometimes the answer is no and sometimes there never was a question....just an unexpected gift!
If my heart is one with God's heart, then I can comply with his standards, present myself and my request before Him, then wait in assurance of His goodness. He loves me no matter the answer, but do I love Him no matter the answer?
After giving Claire my last bite, I used American Sign Language to signal 'all done' and she lay down at my feet contentedly to sleep. After God gives me something dear, do I stay in His presence?
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