Welcome Home! It’s how I felt as we drove up the drive to our new farm. It was if the arms of the land reached out to embrace and draw us in. My heart was overwhelmed as I wandered from room to room trying to take it all in; to absorb some of the reality of a dream coming true! A dream I’ve been waiting on for years, believing in faith, holding fast to the promise yet struggling with doubt and fear at the same time.
How loving of the Lord that a neighbor was there to greet us, stocking the woodpile with logs and kindling!
And how apropos for a lost dog to be meandering around looking hungry and forlorn. For those who have read The Gift I Didn’t Know I Wanted you’ll understand the humor and irony of a lost dog finding my home before I’ve even moved in! Is this a sign of things to come?
Methinks, yes (to borrow a phrase from Shakespeare).
I laughed as the dog wriggled at my feet, baring her belly for a good rub and showing her gratitude with attempts to anoint my face with slobber!
Thankfully, a rabies tag and a phone call led a grateful owner to retrieving a pet lost overnight but his comment on how unlike her to wander so far from home piqued my attention.
I can’t help but think she waited at the will of the Father with a message for me. Are we going to shoo the stranger away or will we help discover their identity and where they belong? As we transition from a suburban backyard homestead to a real life farm there are some things which won’t change. I expect the Lord will continue to send people [and animals] our way. Isn’t that what discipleship is all about – helping people discover who they are and where they belong?
Our plans for a discipleship camp have already begun. What does that look like? I don’t rightly know but I trust He will reveal in due time. We’ve already reunited one lost soul with her master – how many more will the Father send who need a helping hand to be reunited with their Master? Many times in my work with young adults they seem stuck, afraid to make a decision out of fear of making the wrong decision. Usually, it’s a matter of reconnecting them with God so they can hear His voice behind them saying, “This is the Way, walk ye in it!”*
Lady’s collar and tag helped her get back home. We all wear a collar of some sort –
what does your tag say about you? Are you a child of the King or a slave to this world? Are you a faithful servant or a rebel intent upon having your own way? Who do you belong to?
Don’t let that old record of condemnation or doubt keep playing in your head – be persistent and persevere. Submit yourself at His feet and get a good belly rub while you’re at it! You can trust Him!
I know this farm is not about me. I have the privilege of being able to live there and steward what God has entrusted me with. My job is to be available to do His will, that’s all. Fortunately, I also get to be the messenger and share His goodness with you! So, stay tuned and let’s watch what the Father does.
And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it,
when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. ~ Isaiah 30:21
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. ~ Hebrews 13:2