Those big, beautiful hound dog eyes would look up at me eager for me to pet him. His red, floppy ears flapped around as I played with him. He was young, why did this happen? Our beloved 3 year old hound dog, Rover, passed away yesterday.
Didn’t I just write about my dog, Dixie, dying and now this? Rover seemed to have a long life ahead of him so this is hard to understand.
Yesterday I took my shovel and pickaxe and went outside to break through the hard dirt and rock for a burial site. As I swung the pickaxe repetitively to break up the layer of limestone rock, I could feel the Lord breaking up the hard places of my heart. My need for control, my anxieties, overwhelm of my schedule had all contributed to a hardened heart. But the Lord wants me free of these hard places.
“I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.”
Ezekiel 11:19 NIV
Just like I broke through the rock when digging the hole, God breaks through my heart of stone so I can be wholly devoted to Him.
Rover was wholly devoted to my family, faithful and loving no matter what was happening. I want to be the same way towards my Heavenly Father. Rover’s joyful eyes would look up at me and my family, just happy to be with us. I want to look up to God with the same joy in my eyes just happy to spend time with Him.
Friend, how is your heart? What are your eyes looking up at?
Melissa in progress 